I never saw the likes of Richie Benaud and the famous leg-spinners of yesteryear, but even so I can say with complete confidence that Shane Warne is right up there among the greats of the game throughout history. Not only because of his own brilliance as a player, his warmth and generosity, and his later contribution as a coach and as a commentator, but because of his impact on cricket. Shane Warne made leg-spin sexy and from the moment he broke on to the scene the art of spin was revitalised all over the world.
One of the things I most admired about him was the way he approached the game. He would always push to take the attack to the opposition, to take the positive option. His mentality was that of a winner, fuelled by the self-belief that came with having such great skill. He could deliver a leg-break pretty much unlike anything we had seen, and with great accuracy. His best delivery would drift in towards leg stump before spinning away from the right-hander – it was his stock ball, and a bloody great one.
