Shane Warne: The best Captain Australia never had

One of the greatest bowling legends had unusual abilities since he was a toddler - he attended Mentone Grammar School (MGS), leading his team to success as captain by attacking and believing there is only one way to play.

After graduating from MGS with honors in 1987, Shane took over as Mentone First XI captain where they went undefeated that season.

His famous quote "there is only one way to play" led him down an incredible path for accomplishments such as playing for Australia at 18 years old before having the world record number 3 ranked Test Bowler career behind him when retiring from international cricket at 38 years old-all while being considered by many experts to be among "the best bowlers ever".

Shane Keith Warne (1969-2022): The best Captain Australia never had

Shane Keith Warne, one of cricket's finest spinners and a legend in the game, died of a heart attack on March 4th, 2022. One of the greatest bowling legends had unusual abilities since he was a toddler - he attended Mentone Grammar School (MGS), leading his team to success as captain by attacking and believing there is only one way to play. After graduating from MGS with honors in 1987, Shane took over as Mentone First XI captain where they went undefeated that season.

His famous quote "there is only one way to play" led him down an incredible path for accomplishments such as playing for Australia at 18 years old before having the world record number 3 ranked Test Bowler career behind him when retiring from international cricket at 38 years old-all while being considered by many experts to be among "the best bowlers ever".

It has been reported that Shane Warne never got the opportunity to captain Australian Cricket in Tests, despite captaining the side 11 times. Michael Clarke says he would have loved for people to see him as a leader and captain of his country.

"I really wish the Australian people got to see Shane Warne captain Australia because I think they would have seen one of the greatest captains this country ever had," says Michael Clarke.

Shane Warne started playing Test cricket in 1992, and took more than 1000 wickets in Tests. He was the first bowler to break the 700-wicket mark for a career. Not only did he score over 3000 Test runs, but he also scored over 2000 One Day Internationals (ODIs) runs with a batting average of 32 at number eight or below between 1996 and 2002. Shane Warne was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on 2013

Captaincy that was always kept away

Shane Warne was on the verge of being made a test captain in early 1999. Steve Waugh, who was ultimately appointed as the test captain, had more experience and leadership qualities than Shane Warne did at that time.

However, because his headlines ranged from bookie scandals to chasing female admirers, Cricket Australia saw him as too much of a risk for leadership positions later on down the line- so he ended up not becoming one. Steve Waugh became Vice-Captain instead! Later in 2000 Adam Gilchrist took over his place as vice-captain

When Ricky Ponting was named captain in 2004, he lost his second chance because he was banned from cricket in 2003, a day before the World Cup began, for failing a drug test.

Captain: Hampshire and Rajasthan Royals

The Hampshire and Rajasthan Royals must have been pleased with their decision to invest in him as the captain. Some of the players that profited immensely from his brief tenure were Kevin Pietersen, Dmitri Mascarenhas, Yusuf Pathan, Munaf Patel, Shane Watson and Ravindra Jadeja.                                           

Respect for the commitment

Shane Warne spoke about his feelings about all of these in his autobiography, where he expressed his sorrow that his abilities were suppressed by selectors for their own motives, as well as relief that he was able to demonstrate his genius as a leader at least in the IPL:

"I have given my heart and soul to Australian cricket and like to think I’ve earned the respect of the ACB. I have helped to put a few backsides on seats and made spin bowling more interesting.

"I have played in an aggressive, animated, emotional way which reflects the pride I take in representing my country. That should have counted for something, I would have thought."

Once in lifetime legend

Warnie's death has been a big shock for the cricket community. The internet was flooded with tributes, messages from fans and legends of the game. Warnie will always be remembered in cricket history because he'll forever live on in our hearts through his legacy as one of Australia’s greatest cricketers.

Rest in peace, King