Farewell dear friend: Icons to Icon

I’ll miss him

I really don’t know what is going on in his mind but he surely knows it better than anyone else. He’s a good friend of mine and it’s unfortunate that he’s retiring and we will all miss his quality bowling. It’s been a sheer treat for all of us to watch.

Always up there

He’s surely been one of the greatest players to have played this game all time. And above all, I think he is a wonderful person. I know him well and he’s been a good friend. What he’s been able to achieve for Australia is something special.

Why he’s special

There are not many guys who can stand next to him and say ‘well, I have done similar things like him’. He comes from a very special lot and we don’t get to see such cricketers.

We have one too

He is surely one of the top spinners. Another great spinner is playing in my team, Anil Kumble and Muttiah Muralitharan. So these three spinners are surely the top spinners and anyone would want to have them in the side.

Our little joke

We have always had good competition. We have also shared some nice humour. And I remember the first time I got a hundred against him in one-day cricket in Sri Lanka, I hit him for a six and he was saying something. I didn’t really follow what he was saying, and I had started walking towards the square-leg umpire. Then I caught him after the game, and said now you can say what you wanted (to say) on the field. We shared a joke, and since then we have been good friends.

And he kept me awake

Well, you had to be awake to play Warne. There was no breathing space at all because Warne being such a fierce competitor, one knew that at no stage you could run him out of the game. Being such a competitor, he was always coming back at you and that’s what kept me going, kept me on my toes.

ANIL KUMBLE

Anil Kumble, India’s answer to Shane Warne, looks back on the special moments the two have shared, the legacy that his friend will leave behind, and the secret behind those 700 wickets: the quality of Team Australia.

I’ll miss him too

I will definitely miss watching him. He’s had a fantastic career. When Fred Trueman got to 300 wickets, nobody thought anybody would cross that, but to get 700 wickets in Test cricket is really something special.

He showed the way

Shane Warne, not just to spin bowlers but to cricket itself, is an icon. And young budding cricketers took up leg-spin because they wanted to become like Shane Warne. That’s probably something the younger generation would not be able to see, and that’s the legacy he has left behind. I think spin bowling is looked up to, thanks to him.

My special moments

I have always enjoyed meeting up with Warney and sharing whatever thoughts about spin bowling and getting his opinion on spin bowling and the way he bowls and he’s been a very dear friend whenever we have caught up and shared out experiences.

That one wish

Definitely, the ability to spin the ball the way he does.

700-wicket secret

There are lot more matches you get to play these days. In Test cricket, you get 12 to 14 games a year and in Australia, probably, they get the maximum. And that’s definitely ensured (the wickets). And the quality that they (Australia) have. You always end up getting more wickets when you have the quality and the team is winning. So that helps.

World Cup, maybe

Maybe, I thought he would give one crack at the World Cup, come back and play ODI cricket.

But he deserves it all

Oh yes, he is someone who deserves to finish in style. And no better way to get to 700 in front of his home crowd. And I am sure the Aussies would be looking to win the Sydney Test, not just to beat England, but to give a fitting farewell to Warney.