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Warney to hang
his boots after Sydney Test! |
December 22, 2006
 One
of the greatest ever bowler and the highest
wicket taker in Test Cricket, Shane Keith Warne
has confirmed his retirement which is after the
fifth and final Ashes Test Match. Glenn McGrath,
the best fast bowler in modern day cricket is
also expected to call it quits after the fifth
test match according to reports. Between these
two bowlers are more than 1200 Test wickets! It
will be a big blow for the Aussies if they lose
these two fabulous bowlers at the same time! In
particular, it would be difficult to find
another Warney or even get some one to bowl half
as well as him!
Shane Warne had started his international career
against India in 1992 at the Sydney Cricket
Ground, a test match in which Ravi Shastri had
scored his maiden double century and a young and
upcoming player by the name, Sachin Tendulkar
scored a strokeful 148 not out. Shane Warne’s
figures in his first bowl for Australia were a
forgetful 1 for 150 having laboured for 45
overs. Few imagined that he would end up with as
many as 700 test wickets after 15 years and
playing 145 test matches, which should be the
number once he is done with the Sydney Test. In
the 15 years of international career, Shane
Warne has spun out most sides on any kinds of
wickets. He was one of the few bowlers to have
got as much adulation as a great batsman would
get. His off the field activities were headlines
most of the time which included a drug offence
and innumerable sex scandals. He had also served
a one-year ban for taking diuretics just before
the World Cup in 2003.
Warney had retired from ODIs after the ban but
he did return to play only in the Johnnie Walker
Super Series which involved Australia and Rest
of the World XI. He has decided to stop playing
all forms of the game but he will play another
two years for his English County, Hampshire for
which he is on a two-year contract. He has
confirmed this news and had also said that he
would have retired in 2005 itself had Australia
won the Ashes in England which it didn’t. Warney
is 37 years old now, but he has plenty of years
left to trouble most batsmen in the world, but
it is his choice to take a break forever and put
his feet up and one should respect his decision.
As far as cricket is concerned, it might take a
long time to see another Shane Warne!
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