Posted by As a commentator, Shane Warne‘s all that’s good about Australians: he’s straightforward, honest and not afraid to say what he’s thinking.
Warne’s at his best describing spin bowling, but it’s also fascinating to hear about life in the Australia team. Without actually saying that he thought any particular player was a bit of a dick, he lets you know those he didn’t get on with and the fairly simple reasons why. You generally agree with him.
Mike Atherton asked him about the occasion when the Aussies went to watch Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon and wore their Australian baggy green caps. “I wanted to puke at that point,” said Atherton.
Warne was at pains to underline that not everybody had been so attired.
“Justin Langer and Gilchrist and Steve Waugh wore their green baggy cap, but not all of us did, Athers. We were asked to and some of us drew the line and said: Mate, we’re at the tennis. We don’t need to wear our baggy green cap at the tennis to say we like Australia.”
Sky Sports’ coverage needs him as well, because it’s a bit relentlessly English and needs some breadth of opinion.
They should have got him down to Canterbury to tell us how good Rob Key is at cards.
I’m not sure Michael Holding would like being described as “relentlessly English” but thereyou go.
yeah, he’s fun. that session with atherton was particularly good, he also went off on the training (“rubbish”), icebaths, etc. modern cricket in general. and there was more about the baggy green obsession (waugh apparently insisted everyone wear it in the first session, warne and junior waugh would switch to floppy hats immediately after).
etc.
I also enjoyed the implication that the baggy green obsession was made up by Waugh with apparently older cricketers such as Benaud admitting they didn’t have a clue where theirs was.
That Benaud is apparently older than Waugh is mildly putting it. Fishing outside leg stump, are we?
Edit
‘With older cricketers such as Benaud apparently admitting’