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Shane
Warne, Australian cricket legend and professional
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Shane
Warne holds the poker cards for 888 poker
Warnie
made the successful transition from cricket
to professional poker, and that's no spin! In 2008
some of Warne's mates got in on the action including
the former Australian boxing champion, Jeff
Fenech.
Shane
Warne and Bessie Bardot
- publicity stunt for Messages
On Hold
Shane Warne News
Casino
News Media
Shane
retires! Thanks for the memories Shane Warne -
20th December 2006
Shane
Keith Warne (born 13 September 1969 in Upper Ferntree
Gully, Victoria, Australia), is an Australian
cricketer and the current captain of Hampshire.
He is generally regarded as the greatest leg-spin
bowler in cricket history.
Warne
retired from international cricket in January
2007, following Australia's 5-0 Ashes series victory
over England. Two other players integral to the
Australian team of recent years, Glenn McGrath
and Justin Langer, also retired from Tests on
the same day which led some, including the Australian
captain, to declare it the end of an era. Warne
will continue to play for Hampshire for another
two years, honouring a previously signed contract.
In
2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts
as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century.
Warne despite being plagued by scandals off the
field throughout his playing career (one such
accusation was that he begged a woman for sex),
has — since October 2004 — held the
record for the most wickets taken by any bowler
in Test cricket. On 26 December 2006 he became
the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets, making
him the most successful bowler in the history
of Test cricket. He retired with 708 Test wickets.
On 3 January 2007, he achieved the milestone of
1000 international wickets (combined total from
tests and one-day internationals) by claiming
the wicket of Monty Panesar LBW during the 5th
test of the 2006-07 Ashes series. He was the second
bowler to reach this milestone after Sri Lanka's
Muttiah Muralitharan. He is also 3rd on the all
time list for ducks and has scored the most runs
of any Test cricketer without making a century.
Career
Warne made his first-class cricket debut on 15
February 1991, taking 0/61 and 1/41 for Victoria
against Western Australia at the Junction Oval
in Melbourne also sleeping with all female staff
that were on the oval and officials. Warne was
then selected in the Australia B team which toured
Zimbabwe in September 1991. His best performance
was 7/52 in a four-day match. Upon returning to
Australia, he took 3/14 and 4/42 for Australia
A against the West Indies in December 1991. The
incumbent spinner in the Australian Test Team,
Peter Taylor, had taken only one wicket in the
first two tests, so Warne was brought into the
team for the Third Test against India at the Sydney
Cricket Ground a week later. He is now regarded
with affection worldwide as the "Murali of
Melbourne"
He
had an undistinguished Test debut, taking 1/150
(Ravi Shastri caught by Dean Jones for 206) off
45 overs, and recording figures of 1/228 in his
first Test series. His poor return continued in
the first innings against Sri Lanka at Colombo
in the next year, in which he recorded 0/107.
However, a spell of 3/11 in the second innings
contributed to a remarkable Australian win and
arguably saved his Test position. He solidified
his Test position when he took 7/52 in a match
winning performance against the West Indies in
the 1992/93 series in Melbourne.
Despite
the inauspicious start to his Test career, he
has since revolutionised cricket thinking with
his mastery of leg spin, which many cricket followers
had come to regard as a dying art, due to its
immense difficulty of execution. For all his wickets
and on-pitch (and off-pitch) controversies, Warne's
place in cricketing posterity is assured by the
fact that he has overturned the domination of
cricket by fast bowling that prevailed for two
decades before his debut. Despite the presence
of high quality spin bowlers such as Abdul Qadir
on the Test scene, Australia's fast bowlers Dennis
Lillee and Jeff Thomson had dominated cricket
in the early 1970s; while from 1976 until the
early 1990s, the West Indies had lost only one
(ill-tempered and controversial) Test series with
a bowling attack almost exclusively comprising
fast bowlers. In the early 1990s, with the West
Indies on the wane, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram
of Pakistan were assuming the mantle of the world's
most feared bowlers. It was in that context that
Warne's tormenting of batsmen became so significant,
rather than his actual statistics. His humiliation
of Gatting and subsequent hold on - in particular
- English and South African batsmen provided a
welcome sight for cricket watchers weary of the
relentless intimidation by West Indian bowlers
of the 1980s and 1990s. His treatment of South
African batsman Daryl Cullinan was such that Cullinan
was said to have sought the help of a therapist
to overcome Warne's psychological hold.
Warne
combined the ability to turn the ball prodigiously,
even on unhelpful pitches, with unerring accuracy
and a wide variation of deliveries (notable among
these being the flipper). Gideon Haigh, the Australian
jounalist, said of Warne upon his retirement,
"It was said of Augustus that he found Rome
brick and left it marble: the same is true of
Warne and spin bowling."
Many
of his most spectacular performances have occurred
in Ashes series against England, whose players'
inexperience against leg spin bowling made them
particularly vulnerable. However, with feats like
the famous "Gatting Ball", otherwise
known as the "Ball of the Century" which
spun sharply and bowled a bemused Mike Gatting
in the 1993 Ashes series, most of the credit is
Warne's. Conversely, he has struggled against
India, particularly the great Indian batsman Sachin
Tendulkar: his bowling average against India is
a poor 47.18 runs per wicket, compared with his
overall average of less than 26.
Warne
has been highly effective bowling in one-day cricket,
something few other leg spin bowlers have managed.
He also captained Australia on several occasions
in one-day internationals, winning ten matches
and losing only one. Warne had intended to retire
from ODI cricket at the end of the 2003 World
Cup: as it transpired, his last game for Australia
was in January 2003. However, he did appear for
the ICC World XI for the Tsunami benefit match
in 2005.
In
March 2004, he became the second cricketer, after
Courtney Walsh of the West Indies, to take 500
Test wickets. He broke the record for most career
wickets in Test cricket on 15 October 2004 during
the Second Test against India at Chennai, overtaking
his great spin bowling rival, Muttiah Muralitharan
of Sri Lanka. On 11 August 2005 at Old Trafford,
in the Third Ashes Test, he became the first bowler
in history to take 600 Test wickets. In 2005,
he also broke the record for the number of wickets
in a calendar year, with 96 wickets. Warne's ferocious
competitiveness was a feature of the 2005 Ashes
series, when he took 40 wickets at an average
of 19.92 and scored 249 runs.
Warne
is also noted for his exuberant (and sometimes
effective) lower-order batting, once famously
being dismissed for 99 with a reckless shot on
what was later shown to be a no ball. In fact,
of all Test cricketers Warne has scored the most
Test runs without having scored a century, with
two scores in the nineties being his best efforts.
Warne is also third overall on the most international
test ducks. In 2006 Warne and Glenn McGrath reportedly
lost a bet of which bowler would be the first
to get a Test century with fellow Australian bowler
Jason Gillespie after Gillespie scored a record
double-century as a nightwatchman against Bangladesh.
Warne
is also a useful slip fielder. He has taken this
role on a full-time basis since his shoulder injury.
Slip fielding requires quick hands but not much
throwing, and hence is ideal for the post-injury
Warne. He has performed well in this role and
is currently seventh in the list of most catches
as a fielder in test cricket.
Warne
began the 2006/2007 Ashes campaign with an indifferent
test in Brisbane and a poor first innings showing
— his worst figures ever, in fact —
at Adelaide. However, his second innings heroics,
including bowling Kevin Pietersen around the legs,
triggered England's fifth-day collapse and Australia's
historic victory. Warne again bowled well in the
second innings in the third Test, and took the
final wicket of Monty Panesar as Australia regained
the Ashes.
Just
days after these events, on 21 December 2006 Warne
announced his retirement, which came into effect
after the fifth Ashes Test match at the SCG. (He
will honour his contract with Hampshire but will
play no further competitive cricket within or
for Australia). He became the first cricketer
to reach the 700-wicket milestone in his second
last test, on Boxing Day 2006. Warne said that
it was his intention to "go out on top,"
adding that he might have retired after the 2005
Ashes series, had Australia won. Commentators
Tony Greig and Mike Gatting were interviewed immediately
after this announcement and both expressed surprise
and sadness on hearing this news which was by
now spinning around the world. Warne achieved
his 700th test wicket at 3.18pm on 26 December
2006[6] (AEST) by bowling English batsman Andrew
Strauss out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the
final time Warne will play professionally at that
ground. This was the first occasion that a player
had taken 700 career wickets. The wicket was described
as a "classic Warne dismissal" to which
the crowd of 89,155 gave a standing ovation.
In
the last match of the 2006 Ashes Series at the
SCG, Sydney spectators bade him farewell in his
very last Test match, just as they witnessed his
Test debut on 2 January 1992. Thus, a career spanning
exactly 15 years ended where it all began.
In
this final Test, Warne ended England's first innings
by trapping Monty Panesar lbw for a duck and his
1000th total international wicket. His final Test
wicket was the key wicket of Andrew Flintoff,
stumped by Adam Gilchrist near the end of Day
3.
Warnes' 5 Deliveries
Shane Warne has in his repertoire:
- Leg
Spinner
- Wrong un' (Googly)
- Back Spinner
- Zooter (super back spinner)
- Top Spinner
Controversies
Despite nearly universal recognition of Warne's
talents, his reputation with fans and cricket
authorities is mixed, owing to a succession of
intemperate actions in both his professional and
his private life.
Bookmakers
In 1998, Warne admitted that he and Mark Waugh
had taken money from a man known only as John,
who was later discovered to be operating with
bookmakers. The money was stated to be for pitch
and weather reports.
Charged with bringing the game into disrepute
Warne was charged with bringing the game into
disrepute in 1999 following his comments about
the Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga. On the
eve of the World Cup Warne said "Sri Lanka
and the game overall would be better off without
him...I don't like him and I'm not in a club of
one."
Positive test for banned substance
In February 2003, just prior to the start of the
2003 Cricket World Cup, Warne was sent home after
a drug test during the one-day series in Australia
earlier in the year returned a positive result
for a banned diuretic.
Warne
initially claimed that he took only one of what
he called a "fluid tablet" – the
prescription drug Moduretic — on David Stretton's
suggestion, in an attempt to improve his appearance
(Warne has battled weight problems throughout
his career). Warne claimed ignorance of the banned
nature of the tablet he took, as well as much
of the drug policy of the Australian Cricket Board
(despite extensive briefings on the matter in
the past). It should however be noted that this
drug is a known masking agent for anabolic steroids,
and many accused Warne of using the banned substances
to recover from a shoulder injury which had side-lined
him at the time.
Charged
with using "a prohibited method to enhance
performance", Warne faced a two-year ban
from cricket if found guilty. Considerable pressure
was placed on the panel considering his case by
Dick Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency,
who in comments described by the head of the Australian
Sports Drug Agency as "highly inappropriate,"
poured scorn on Warne's excuse and stated that
Australian sport was well-known for accusing others
of cheating but was considerably less enthusiastic
about prosecuting its own. Pound's comments were
at least partly endorsed by sportspeople such
as former Olympic swimming champion Kieren Perkins,
who expressed concern that a lenient verdict would
make a mockery of Australia's stand against drugs
in sport.
In
the end, the panel found Warne guilty of breaching
the ACB's drug code, and imposed a one-year ban.
It was further revealed, and confirmed by Warne
in a subsequent television interview, that he
had actually taken two of the pills. Warne's testimony,
and that of his mother, was described by the panel
as "vague and inconsistent". The panel
decided against imposing the full two-year ban
because the drug would have had no performance-enhancing
effect, there was no evidence that Warne used
the diuretic to mask steroid use, and medical
opinion stated that steroids would not have enhanced
Warne's recovery from a shoulder injury he had
suffered several weeks earlier, or assisted his
game in any case. A disappointed Warne initially
considered appealing, but decided against it,
as several people, including Pound, pointed out
that the penalty could have been increased if
an appeal was made.
During
his suspension, he considered working for the
St Kilda Australian rules football club as an
assistant coach, before the Australian Football
League told the club that it would be inappropriate
to have somebody suspended for a drug offence
advising its players. He also received invitations
to play in various celebrity "park cricket"
teams, and the newly renamed Cricket Australia
reversed its decision on whether Warne, as a contracted
player, should be allowed to play in such matches.
He also became a TV commentator for Channel 9
in Australia during this time.
Personal life
Warne has 3 children - Brooke, Summer and Jackson
with his ex-wife Simone Callahan.
Marital infidelities
Warne's private life has been beset by scandals
and subjected to scrutiny by British tabloid newspapers.
He came under criticism for text messaging a woman
whilst on tour in South Africa, accused of sending
lewd and harassing messages. However, the woman
who made the claims (Helen Cohen Alon) was subsequently
charged with extortion in her own country.
Further
allegations of Warne having extra-marital affairs
broke in 2005 as Australia began its tour of England
in preparation for The Ashes. On 25 June 2005,
Warne and his wife Simone Callahan announced that
they had decided to separate.
On
7 May 2006, the News of the World tabloid newspaper
published pictures of Warne standing in his underpants
with a pair of 25-year-old models, as well as
explicit text messages allegedly from Warne.
Endorsements and off-field earnings
Warne's off-field indiscretions cost him various
corporate endorsements and offers. On 13 July
2005, Australia's Nine Network announced it would
not renew Warne's commentating contract, worth
around AU$300,000 annually. Warne had previously
been seen as a future member of the Nine cricket
commentary team, and had done commentary work
during his one-year ban from cricket in 2003.
Warne
has had much negative media publicity due to his
affairs. He has often been the subject of parodies
and jokes and has even had a number of songs written
about his exploits: "Horny Warnie" by
Horny Warnie and the Whites, which received some
airplay in Australia; "The Shane Warne Song",
by Kevin Bloody Wilson, "Shane Warne (There's
a Brand New Aussie Legend)", by The Handsome
Young Strangers, and most recently, a tribute/retirement
song simply titled "Warney", by Dicks
with Chicks, a play on words using Green Day's
song "Warning".
He
also does promotional work for hair-loss-recovery
company Advanced Hair. This matter was investigated
by the British Advertising Standards Authority
in relation to an illegal celebrity endorsement
of medical services.
Warne
has also endorsed the Codemaster video games Shane
Warne Cricket and Shane Warne Cricket '99. Outside
Australia these were known as Brian Lara Cricket
and Brian Lara Cricket '99.
Cars
Warne has indulged his passion for cars. He has
owned two Ferraris: he purchased a 355 Spider
in 1996, and in 2001 he bought a 360 Spider in
titanium, with red interior. At that time he had
six cars - the Ferrari, two Mercedes four-wheel
drives, two BMWs and a Holden VK Commodore. However,
after his separation he sold his collection, and
now owns a BMW X5 in Australia, and rents a Mercedes
E55 AMG in England
Recognition
He was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketers
of the Year for 1994.
In 2000, Warne was named by a 100-member panel
of experts as the fourth of five Wisden Cricketers
of the Century. Warne received 27 votes, behind
Sir Donald Bradman (100 votes), Sir Garfield Sobers
(90 votes), and Sir Jack Hobbs (30 votes). Sir
Viv Richards took the fifth place, with 25 votes.
He is the only Wisden Cricketer of the Century
who has not been knighted.
Warne is one of the four Australian cricketers
to have been named in "Richie Benaud's Greatest
XI" in 2004 (Don Bradman, Dennis Lillee and
Adam Gilchrist are the others).
In 2005 he was named as winner of the BBC Sports
Personality of the Year Overseas Personality for
his performance in the 2005 Ashes.
Warne appeared on the 6th and 7th July episode
of the popular Australian soap Neighbours on behalf
of his charitable foundation.
In 2006 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from
Southampton Solent University for services to
cricket.
He is a huge fan of the St Kilda Football Club
and wanted to play with them when he was younger
(he played in their 2nd's side).
Former Australian Test Cricket captain Kim Hughes
described Warne as the "Donald Bradman of
bowling" following the announcement of Warne's
intention to retire.
He is only one of 4 Australian cricketers to have
his portrait hang in the Long Room at Lords, the
others being Victor Trumper, Sir Donald Bradman
and Keith Miller. He is also the only one to have
it hanging while he was still playing.
Test
wicket milestones
1st: Ravi Shastri (India)
50th: Nasser Hussain (England)
100th: Brian McMillan (South Africa)
150th: Alec Stewart (England)
200th: Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka)
250th: Alec Stewart (England)
300th: Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
350th: Hrishikesh Kanitkar (India)
400th: Alec Stewart (England)
450th: Ashwell Prince (South Africa)
500th. Hashan Tillakaratne (Sri Lanka)
550th: James Franklin (New Zealand)
600th: Marcus Trescothick (England)
650th: Ashwell Prince (South Africa)
700th: Andrew Strauss (England)
708th: Andrew Flintoff (England)
Books
As
author or co-author
Shane
Warne: My illustrated career Book coverShane Warne:
My Official Illustrated Career by Richie Benaud
and Shane Warne (Cassell, 2006) ISBN
The Complete Shane Warne by Ken Piesse (Viking,
2001) ISBN
Shane Warne: My own story by Shane Warne and Mark
Ray (Bookman Projects, 1997) ISBN
Biographies
Spun Out: Shane Warne the Unauthorised Biography
of a Cricketing Genius by Paul Barry (Bantam Press,
2006) ISBN
Shane Warne: My Autobiography (Coronet Books,
2002) ISBN ((Audiobook)Audio Cassette: Hodder
& Stoughton Audio Books, 2001 ISBN) (Hardcover:
Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, 2001 ISBN)
Trivia
Boris Johnson, in his "The Dream of Rome"
TV series and book, referred to the statue of
Augustus as "arm aloft like Shane Warne doing
his flipper, effulgent in marble and larger than
life”.
At the 2005 Allan Border Medal award ceremony,
it was stated that Shane Warne's highest Test
score of 99 ended when he was dismissed by a delivery
from Daniel Vettori that should have been signalled
a no ball. Had it been signalled, Shane Warne
would have registered his maiden Test century,
as he had crossed with batting partner Glenn McGrath
before he was caught and would have scored a run.
He is a huge fan of the St Kilda Football Club
and wanted to play with them when he was younger
(he played in their 2nd's side).
Poetry
about Shane Warne
Come Shane By Victoria Coverdale (Make Jam Press,
2006) ISBN (Credit:
Wikipedia)
Dial
S for Shane
Mediaman advises that the following is a
humorous article on Shane Warne, and has nothing
but respect and admiration for the great Shane
Warne. Mediaman was also delighted
to have played a part in the Messages On Hold
- Markson Sparks - Shane Warne media campaign
in late 2005. A public thank you to Shane Warne,
Max
Markson and Kym
Illman for being good sports. Pleasure to
do business gentlemen.
Mediaman Profiles Of
The Month: Mobile
Telephony Mobile
Babes
Articles
Putting
a new spin on an old sales pitch - The Bulletin
Texting
trouble sets back Shane Warne's poker career
Dial
S for Shane
"He's
not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy."
So said a high-pitched Terry Jones, Brian's ugly
mum of Monty Python's classic Life of Brian. And
this line could so well apply to the man with
the versatile fingers: six ounces of leather in
one gifted hand and mobile in the risqué
other. Shane Keith Warne.
His
arrival on the turf was limp. In 1992, Ravi Shastri
the Indian allrounder, now TV commentator, smacked
Warne's debut deliveries to all parts of the Sydney
Cricket Ground. Twas an ordinary beginning. And
so was Bradman's. The Don responded and so did
Warne. His resolve stiffened and so did his confidence
and results.
For
over a decade, the West Indians had dominated
cricket and boy did they send down a mean ball.
Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner,
Colin Croft, Andy Roberts, Wayne Daniel, Courtney
Walsh. The right-armed missiles from these destroyers
sank the opposition and almost drowned the game
in a sea of bouncers. Over rates were abysmal.
Test matches were dreary affairs. Five days of
fast bowlers slowly drudging to their long mark
tested the patience of the yawning public. Calypso
crowds excepted; they cheered alone.
And
then along he came.
His
skills were a revelation. Traditionalists craving
for the revival of the almost lost art of wrist
spin likened his arrival to that of the messiah.
Hallelujah! The ball spat and spun and turned
and bounced and fizzed. A joy to watch. He was
(and still is) a rare cricketing beast. Theodolitic
accurate with ability to turn the leather a foot.
Unheard of. The purists loved him and so did an
admiring legion of new fans drawn to his blonde
haired magnetism, larrinkin charisma and ripsnorting
flipper. Of course, the bewildered bats trying
to combat the magical array of spinning tricks
vehemently tried to block his popularity. Most
failed. Just ask Daryl Cullinan.
The
world was at SK Warne's white boots.
World's
have been known to crumble. The hordes from the
north finally breached the walls of Rome, Nazi
Germany was sandwiched under the combined armies
of the east and west, and The British Empire once
a global superpower is now a puppet of the Bush
administration. Each rose and fell. And so has
Shane.
Having
conquered the game and the spectators, he couldn't
conquer himself. A sequence of accusations and
wrong doings has tainted his name. His messiah
image, long since lost in the desert of indiscretion,
now appears ready for crucifixion.
Hard
on the high heels of a goodnight-kiss-seeking
Brisbane teenager and "hairy-backed"
(nice one Hookesy) South African mum, a Melbourne
dancer has thrown her harrassed hat into the all-comers
ring. And there's more. Fuelling the growing flame,
a former Australian Cricket Board marketing employee
revealed the leg spinner's behaviour precipitated
almost daily public complaints. Barely standing,
has this last hit found the chin and sent a targeted
Warne to the canvas of cricket oblivion? Further
punches?
I met
the man once. It was mid 1990's and I was wetting
the lips at a Coogee pub. The blonde bamboozler,
one of the biggest names in Australian cricket
was sinking a few ales too. Unlike many of this
country's sporting fraternity - staccato-mouthed
fighters full of self-promotion, retired boxers
full of lip and always with entourage, scores
of rugby league first graders and red headed commentators
take note - his ego wasn't floating in the clouds.
Down-to-earth, likeable and approachable, well
behaved and unassuming, Warne came across as a
decent bloke.
Sadly,
the recent finger pointing suggests otherwise.
Nietzsche
said it right: "Truth is ugly." If the
truth does surface and if the sexual allegations
are solid then we all know who's been a very naughty
boy, don't we.
Business
News
Shane
Warne has officially endorsed
World
Series Of Poker
Messages
On Hold
888.com
Websites
The
Shane Warne Foundation
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