The real king will never be dethroned
By Rayed Mamun – 28 July 2007
In today’s society numbers are everywhere. Statistics are society’s way of dismissing people’s opinions and help find a conclusion everyone can agree on. The fact is numbers will never show the bigger picture, and everyone will never agree on any one thing. With Murali inevitably about to break Warne’s world record (probably on Australian soil in November), a debatable statistical question is, who is the all time king of spin, him or Shane Warne? Will these numbers mean anything in 50 years time? To me, Shane Warne will always be remembered no matter what records are broken.
Warne, despite his off field dramas, has been a legend of the game, possibly the second greatest cricketer ever behind Bradman. He almost single-handedly revolutionised spin bowling, encouraging an entire generation of youngsters to bowl slow. It is because of him we will be witnessing the art of spin bowling at its finest in the generations to come. He is truly the father of spin bowling, and has given cricket an unexpected, yet bright spark that has changed the game forever. His exploits on the field were unimaginable. He had so many memorable moments, that his incredible exploits would have him telling endless stories to his grandchildren. He won games for Australia countless times when they were on the brink. He made the world’s best batsmen look like school boys. He proved the critics wrong time and again by continuing to let his bowling do the talking. Numbers can’t measure the achievements of this man’s cricketing exploits. It shouldn’t matter that his record will be broken.
On the other hand Murali has been very successful in his own right. However, he does not possess the aura that Shane Warne did, nor does he have nearly as many heroic stories to tell about his bowling. One of the main reasons for this, is due to his record against so-called minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. He has taken over one-fifth of his wickets against these two nations. Shane Warne has hardly any wickets against them. Add to that, Murali’s worst record is against Australia. A true champion always does well against the best. Players like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara are admired because of their ability to dominate Australia. Shane Warne, although playing for Australia, got the better of the world’s top batsmen. His battles with Lara and Tendulkar were always eagerly anticipated and provided entertainment to fans worldwide. Murali on the other hand had no fierce, competitive rivalries. Regardless of what mini-rivalries Murali may claim to have, they could never overshadow Warne’s feats. Add to that, Murali’s action continues to be controversial. Many, including myself, still believe his action is not legitimate. This belief will continue to put repercussions of doubt on the cricketing world on whatever records he might achieve in the coming years.
Remember Bradman, the greatest player of all time, only scored 6,996 runs. One day we might be saying to our grandchildren that Shane Warne ‘only’ took 708 wickets. Rest assured he will still be hailed and the ‘founding father’ and ‘king’ of spin bowling in the hearts and minds of the cricketing world.