Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne is considered the best leg-spinner ever played in the game. His consistency and wicket-taking ability were phenomenal throughout his career as he ended up taking over 700 Test wickets. He was a player who always grabbed the limelight be it on or off the field. Also, he faced a lot of scrutiny from the media for his lifestyle.
Warne ended his career with 708 Test wickets in 145 matches – most by an Australian bowler. He was a true match-winner for his team and turned several games on its head to win the game for his team.
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Meanwhile, he was involved in a lot of controversies. Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke revealed how Warne coped with the pressure of facing the media during his international career. Clarke mentioned Warne always had a smoke before going onto the field the handle the pressure.
“He would always leave the things happening off the field, off the field. Generally, Warnie would have a smoke as he was walking onto the ground. He will try to hide it somewhere. And when he finished his smoke and put it out, he knew that it was game time. He crossed that line and whatever he had going off the field, he would leave it there, go and do his stuff on the field and when he came back, he knew it was still going to be there,” Clarke said on the Uncensored Podcast.
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Clarke went on to praise Warne’s mental strength to cope with all the pressure.
“I think that was his greatest strength, how mentally strong he was to still be able to perform when he had so much media pressure off the field with his life. He had it all his career,” he added.
Warne improved his batting skills later on in his career. He amassed 249 runs in the Ashes series, where Australia handed England a 5-0 drubbing.
“In 2005 he was absolutely genius with bat and ball. You don’t see that often, Warne making runs with the bat,” Clarke concluded.
