‘Sudden death'

The shocking demise of the self-defined spin master, Shane Warne, brought unimaginable despair to his admirers across the globe, who have known him as an excellent cricketer, meticulous commentator, dedicated mentor and, above all, a fun-loving person

- S KANNAN

What lamps ceased to burn; what hearts ceased to breathe. ‘Sudden death’ is a term used in football, which defines the result of a match in split seconds. Agony for one team and ecstasy for the other.

In life, sudden death is benumbing, as witnessed in the departure of the wizard Shane Warne in Koh Samui, Thailand. Call it shock, call it unbelievable, call it fate, or the will of God, Warne’s exit leaves billions of fans around the world in a daze.

For a man so full of life, on and off the field, so colourful in his approach and so filled with fun, Warne’s sudden death brings into focus once again the vagaries of life.

They say, life and death are inevitable. At 52, Warne’s passing away has shown nothing is certain. For a man who created so many uncertainties in the life of many batsmen on the pitch, Warne was the master of his craft. Yet, who would have thought Warne would leave so fast.

Leg spin, by nature, is tantalising in cricket. There have been many exponents of leg-spin, some traditional, some unorthodox in approach. Shane Warne defined leg-spin in his own way, bamboozling batsmen like none else. Cricket is a sport where stats tell us quite a bit. It can capture facts in terms of runs scored, fours hit and sixes smashed. And if it’s bowling, averages, wickets taken, economy rate, and so on come into play.