ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
An internal report commission by Cricket Australia has concluded that icon of the modern game, Shane Warne, is never far from the on-field action.
While it’s been rumoured to have been the case for many years, this new study all but confirms Shane’s ongoing positive influence on the team.
Before play began on Day 5 of the Fourth Test, the popular Victorian took time out of his busy morning of looking at his phone and walking around the ground to speak to Marnus Labuschagne.
Marnus is a strong middle order batsman with the ability to anchor and innings and calm everything down a bit. He also moonlights as a leg spinner.
The report found that Shane spoke briefly to Marnus, telling him to reconsider the angles at which he was running in at. Marnus reconsidered the angles he was running in at and promptly took a wicket.
Fan and player alike remember Shane mostly for his bowling. One man who spent a number of years under the guidance of Shane was Steve Smith, who at one point in his career was considered to be Shane’s happy-go-lucky leg break replacement.
Smith spoke to The Advocate in 2015, saying that Warney had not just helped him with his bowling.
“Shane gave me a lot of batting advice, too,” said Smith.
“Shane told me to forget everything Ian Chappell taught me about batting because South Australians are inbred and fucked in the head. He said that whenever he went out to bat, he just pretended he was Michael Bevan and the guy bowling was someone completely useless like Sajid Mahmood or Matthew Hoggard,”
“Then he said he just tries to hit the ball as hard has he can. I hope these tips will get my batting back on track!”
The Advocate reached out to Shane for comment but his hotel room’s phone is still off the hook.
More to come.
