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Shane Keith Warne, a look back on arguably one of the most influential cricketers of all time.
by Jimmy

     It was a sad, sad day on January 5 2007. A true legend of the game of cricket called it quits. Shane Warne felt it was the right time to go – much to the angst of fans around the world. He had played a significant part in retaining the coveted ashes urn and was still spinning the ball as far as ever. As the great man said though, “I’d rather have people ask me ‘why are you (retiring), than why don’t you’”.

Sadly he will mainly be remembered for his off field antics rather than his on field heroics (a big thanks to the vultures that call themselves the media). It’s not so much the amount of wickets that he took but they he got them. He was a bowler of Machiavellian proportions. Any weakness shown by his enemy standing 22 yards away was exploited. If a verbal barrage was needed to get a wicket then it would be given. On field he was a solider who went about his mission with a tactical nous superior to all others around him. Opposition players would be so enraged with him that when it came for his turn to bat they would try to hurt him rather than get him out. A ploy he used to great success. Most people underestimate his skill with the willow. Here was a man who has made more runs than any other batsmen in the history of the game without making a test hundred. Backing away to leg and slashing the ball over the keeper and slips became an all too familiar sight for opposition quicks over the years. The 90 he made at Manchester in 2005 was a masterful innings; a true Warne innings. An innings that showed his back to the wall fighting spirit, an innings that would have him in the spotlight. England racked up a mammoth total and had Australia reeling until Warne stepped forward. ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’. Warne played a defiant innings and nearly steered Australia to victory in one the greatest matches ever played. Yes, Warne was not only a champion bowler but an equally adept batsman.

Warnie was voted in the Wisden almanac as being in the top 5 greatest cricketers of all time. A just assessment of the great man. Warnie’s wickets records will be surpassed by the Sri Lankan chucker, however Warne took all his wickets against established test cricket nations, the chucker mainly plays Zimbabwe and Bangladesh….you be the judge.

To go with his 700 plus wickets the blond bamboozler also made over 3000 runs and took over 120 catches. Irrefutable proof that he was a truly great cricketer. One admired by all his peers; past and present.

Mark Cosgrove.
by Damo

     Cricket Australia's decision to show Mark Cosgrove the door because of his untidy room has done a talented youngster a great disservice. Cosgrove's room at the academy was kept in a state which some administrators did not approve of. It is not the first time he has fallen foul of the cricketing authorities - Cosgrove nearly lost his spot in the state team because of fitness issues. This was mooted despite the fact that he is one of the few young batsmen in Australia who consistently scores runs. Cosgrove is a powerful striker of the ball, a handy medium pacer and has a good pair of hands in the field. So, why does his apparent lack of fitness mean that he is struggling to play cricket for his state?

Cosgrove is a tough cricketer and one who is capable of batting all day as well as being capable of staying alert in the field all day. Which begs the question why is it so important that he conform to all these righteous expectations and regulations? Merv Hughes was another who was considered overweight. He would not survive today if he were at the cricket academy. Going back to the messy room, most biographies of Steve Waugh state that he was always untidy. It has been commented that he had a messy kitbag and he went on to become one of the toughest cricketers of all time. Darren Lehman was right when he said that his kids keep a messy room, but he does not throw them out. The same principle should be applied to Mark Cosgrove, who cares about the state of his room it is how he plays on the field that should be looked at and Cosgrove has a lot of ability on the field. Let's not forget that Ricky Ponting had problems with alcohol and his behaviour off the field and has since turned it around and become the best batsmen in the world. By ejecting Cosgrove from the Academy means that he does not have the chance to learn from any mistakes and develop as a cricketer and a person. The mindset now is that if young players are not perfect right away then they are thrown out. He should be given another chance, granted that playing at the highest level is a privilege that some in the past have flaunted, talented cricketers should not have the door slammed shut in their face.

From overreactions to indifference; the second test involving England and India proved to be a great result for the proud Indian team, but one that was a fiery contest. There were many fiery contests between both sides. Zaheer Kahn brandishing his bat at Kevin Pietersen because of the jellybean fracas, Matt Prior the new England mouthpiece and Sreesanth's fiery bowling to Pietersen and Paul Collingwood. Michael Atherton called for Sreesanth to be banned for the next test match because of his vicious beamer to Kevin Pietersen and claimed that the match referee was weak for penalising Sreesanth for shouldering Michael Vaughn and not disciplining him for his beamer. The beamer is a vicious delivery and one that should never be encouraged. Banning Sreesanth is not the answer, Rahul Dravid has a wise head and should help turn his talented but erratic fast bowler around.

What is arguably as serious as the beamer, although it did not place anyone in any immediate physical harm, is the jellybean incident. This riled Zaheer Kahn so much that he brandished his bat at Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior only made things worse by constantly offering an unwanted opinion. Jellybeans on the pitch should not be laughed at or dismissed in the manner in which the England cricketers have to this incident. It shows a blatant disregard for the laws of the game and the spirit of Cricket. Whoever threw the jellybean on a good length has a lot to answer for. If it had gone on unnoticed by the batsmen and a bowler were to target the errant sweet then there could very well have been a regrettable incident occur. Ironically it backfired in that it fired up Zaheer who lead the Indian attack to a memorable win. All England seemed intent on doing was trying to get under their opposition’s skin instead of winning the game.

India is now poised to take the series. Victory against England would certainly be a fitting send off for Sachin Tendulkar. The Little Master is gradually making his way back into form. It would be fitting for Tendulkar, in the twilight of a magnificent career to go out on a high in England and take that form to his final tour of Australia.