Cricket | Shane Warne, larger-than-life hero

In Quebec, 2022 will be remembered as the year we left two sporting heroes behind: Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy. But if you do a global poll, after the legendary Pele, there’s a good chance it’s Australian Shane Warne who tops the list of missing greats from the sporting scene.

Making his debut in ‘The Ashes’, a prestigious series of matches between Australia and England, Warne found himself ahead of England veteran Mike Gatting, a player known to be one of the best ball handlers on Indeed, who had intended to show the youngster his talent. “cocky” who was the boss.

Windswept blonde hair and a nose and mouth smeared with sunscreen—an image he’s tried to maintain throughout his career—Warren set off. The ball went first to the right and Gatting moved slightly to protect the wicket. However, on hitting the ground, the ball suddenly deflected to the left to avoid hitting and reverse the wicket. In disbelief, Gatting stared for a long time at the place where the ball bounced, then at the wicket behind him.

He has no idea what just happened, said Richie Benaud, the ‘voice’ of cricket for Australia, who can be heard in the video of the match.

In an interview a few years after his retirement, Warren explained: “This horn ball It was just a fluke, really. It was also a twist of fate and I never did that again. Gay pitcher [leg spinner] Always dreaming of hitting that perfect shot; I did it right the first time and it changed my life, on and off the field. »

Perfect or not, hundreds of other players fell victim to Warren’s throws over the next few years and in his final season, in December 2006, it was a similar throw that earned him 700^e wicket, at his home in Melbourne, in front of famed England batsman Andrew Strauss.

Indeed, Warne’s true genius, arguably, was his knowledge of cricket, and his method of constantly juggling targets, to keep the batsmen off balance and to surprise them, at the right moment, with what was then the “perfect throw”.

He was named one of the top five players of the XX^e A century, he also made his mark after his retirement as a TV commentator, with his colorful analyzes lighting up matches.

And he never hesitated to pass on his knowledge to young players, inspiring an entire generation of players Leg deer This, in turn, helps make cricket a living sport.

Some will be surprised that Warne has remained so popular despite serious misconduct, a doping suspension in particular, and shady relationships with bettors as well. And his private life has not been easy, with his highly publicized relationship with actress Liz Hurley on the one hand, but also many scandals on the other.

But it was a “larger than life” figure, as many of his former teammates and opponents noted posthumously, that revolutionized and transcended his sport. This is how he managed to embody a certain image that Australians have of themselves, as Guy Lafleur did with many Quebecers.