Cricket: Sheikh of Tweak

Shane Warne is a part of cricket history now. He is now the highest wicket taker in test cricket.He will be on top of heap for a little time to come. He is a real maverick of the game and perhaps the most outstanding of all bowlers if ever there was one. He is a comeback kid. He fought again and again to scale the peaks of performance which is tough for people to scale even once. He has amazed batsmen with his tricks on the pitch and family, friends, critics and fans by his doings off the pitch.
The one thing which everyone is sure of is that he knows how to be in the news. The number of controversies and wickets has amazed everyone. Both cease to stop.
He started with an indifferent debut match. This is the case with with many great cricketers in the history of the game. He came back after being slammed by his critics. Then on, he has helped Australia to conquer the “Final Frontier”. His role was pivotal in a series win against India. The only place where the Aussies did not register a series win for 4 decades. The Aussie mainly rely on fast bowling attack to win matches. They have quality in that as well, without them they would have struggled for being where they are. McGrath, Lee, Gillespie, Kasprowicz pack a lot of explosive power into the Aussie side. Then too Shane Warne a.k.a Warnie finds a few wickets every time he bowls.
He has often raised his hand ensuring Aussies win not only matches but also series. He did it on Australia tour of India last season . He also had a magical spell on Lankans before that. As the case with all the Aussie bowlers he has earned a lot of praise and admiration as well as flake from batsmen. He has dismissed top batsmen in spells of bowling which cannot be imagined if not seen. Daryll Cullinan (South Africa) would hang his boots the moment he saw Warnie with a ball in his hand. However his reputation was hit over the boundaries when he toured here in the season of 1998 and 2001. He was taken to the cleaners and his bowling averages took a beating. He however did very well when India toured there under Tendulkar.
He remains as mesmerizing and as controversial as Murali, who as tipped to overhaul his tally of wickets. It is just the matter of time. But establishing a 600 club would have given him immense pleasure. The only signs of an aging bowlwer is the degree of control. He has more control, more deception, the two signs of a good and a lethal spinning wizard. The career of this maverick spinner is downhill so enjoy it till it lasts. He has nothing prove to any of his cricket critics. He is a shinning star in a rich galaxy of cricketers.