Shane Warne RIP

[Satchmo Distel]

One of Wisden's five cricketers of the century and the third to die; Sobers and Richards outlived him.

I would say that he and Imran are the best cricketers I have seen.

[nmrfox]

Just seen the news. Terrible news and certainly the best bowler I've even seen. RIP

[Nocturnal Submission]

Very sad. RIP

[RobW]

Unbelievable news, especially after Rodney Marsh's passing. Floored me. Only saw him play once, Trent Bridge Test in 1993.

[Tony C]

Terrible news. A true great of the game and always an engaging observer of the game. 52 is a desperately young age to go. RIP.

[diggedy derek]

I was going to go for "Cold, Shane".

From an English sport point of view, the only player who inspired the same degree of paralysing fear was Maradona. And yet, Warne was totally lovable (accepting that he occasionally bent the rules a bit).

This over, from Rob Moody's channel, I think about a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMsL0s6_aRs

[Ray de Galles]

As I said on the general summer cricket thread, the guy who got me in to cricket and a devastating loss.

[diggedy derek]

Ray, yep, Steve Waugh and Shane Warne were superheroes in my house.

[longeared]

He was a genius, and what he did was revolutionary in bringing wrist spin back to the forefront of the game after years of pace ("a method of bowling thought to have been relegated to the museum" - Matthew Engel in Wisden). He won them everything and with that constant sense of theatre and drama, an Ashes hat trick at the MCG, won them two World Cup semi finals almost single handedly, ended Daryl Cullinan's career, bowled Strauss once with such extravagant turn Hawkeye was unable to accept it had spun that much. He's the only spinner I've ever seen to have bowled a bouncer (Lords 2005 to Pietersen)

Saw him field, bat and doing telly punditry on the outfield, but don't think I ever saw him bowl - he delivered a single over for two runs in the first innings at Headingley 1997 but not sure if that was the day I went - Dizzy ran through England taking a seven for so there was no need for him.

[caja-dglh]

Dreadfully sad news - one of few certain all time sporting greats that played during our lifetimes.

[multipleman78]

Such sad news. A sporting genius who then transitioned into a brilliant commentator.

He only lost one Ashes series and he was sensational in defeat. It must have been a privilege and joy to play in the same team as him.

[diggedy derek]

Took a barely believable 40 wickets when Australia lost the 2005 Ashes. I think there's a good argument that his later years were perhaps when he was at his very best, with his incredible control and experience.

[Satchmo Distel]

The 2nd Test of the following series 2006-07 was another masterclass. England had a 1st innings lead but totally froze against him in the 2nd innings and Aus knocked off the runs. The psychological effect turned a potentially close series into a procession to 5-0.

I doubt there will be a better cricketer this century.

[hobbes]

What a crying shame. As people have mentioned above, the best slow bowler I've ever seen, and probably the best spinner of all time. Handy with the bat n'all and no slouch with the sledges. But the rapport he had with erstwhile opponents pointed to a guy who knew when to give it out and when not to.

[ad hoc]

He was a brilliant bowler. And I believe a good commentator too, though I have little to go on there

I'm not sure if he was the best spinner of my lifetime but he was definitely up there with Murali

[Paul S]

Incredible cricketer, one of the all time greats whose achievements will stand the test of time.

I'd have gone with Warne-out

[Paul S]

Shane Warne tweeted about Rod Marsh dying, quite unaware he would be joining him a few hours later.

[E10 Rifle]

What an absolute privilege it was to watch him play, even when he was tormenting your team, which he usually was. Almost a Maradona figure in cricket, I think, though not the political figure in the same way (he had shit politics) - but just as this slightly dissolute no-airs one-off who had pure sporting genius in his veins. One of the greatest sportspeople of all time, without question

[ad hoc]

Apart from everything else (and there was a lot else) Warne can always be remembered very fondly as "the man who humiliated that fat twat Gatting"

[Kevin S]

Oh good grief, this is a shock. As a child of the 90s, yeah, every time you had a cricket ball in your hand you were trying to be Shane Warne. Incredible talent, and a huge loss to the game. So young.

[E10 Rifle]

The 2005 memories, in particular, are flooding back as a result of this. I think I spent most of that summer talking or thinking about cricket, like a big boring obsessive kid. Warne was a lot of the reason for that, even in a losing series. He was perhaps better in that Ashes than in any other.

[multipleman78]

And yet, after all his brilliance in that series, two moments of calamity for him stick out. He trod on his own stumps in that famous run chase at Edgbaston and then he dropped Pietersen early in his innings at the Oval before Pietersen went ballistic.

Of course, Warne responded by single handedly walking over to Pietersen and shaking his hand as he walked off. A tremendous show of sportsmanship when he must have felt so disappointed that he had allowed Pietersen to gain that significant foothold.

[Antepli Ejderha]

That ball.

[diggedy derek]

from a really fun Guardian Joy of Six article:

Being snobs about such things of course we did not want to do that ball. Like a Beatles fan who insists that the B side is better than the single, that ball just seemed too obvious, too popular. We tried to leave it out. But we can't. There have been 1,994 Test matches and too many deliveries to count, but all I've said so far is "that ball" and yet you know exactly what I am talking about.

[ursus arctos]

Though I am of the camp that the Strauss dismissal is objectively superior, while being demonstrably less iconic