This and a series of blogs will be about Shane Warne’s autobiography. This blog is about Shane Warne and his family.
Shane Warne announced his retirement from the game on 21 December 2006 after a 5-0 drubbing of his favourite punching bag team, England. Warne felt that it was the right time to leave the game on a high. When Warne announced his retirement, he was on 699 Test wickets. Just before the start of the Melbourne Test, he as the host for the Shane Warne Foundation which supported underprivileged children throughout the world, organised a dinner event the night before the start of his penultimate Test. He was quite nervous before the Test knowing that it would be the last Test at the mighty G, as the MCG is known. He arrived at the ground before the rest when one by one entered the dressing room.
Ponting lost the toss and Australia were to bowl. Every Australian wished all the best to Warne. England were 82/2 when Ponting invited Warne to have a crack with Strauss on 48. Strauss and Collingwood played a few shots when Warne suggested to Ponting to block the area behind square. He played with the mind of Strauss while doing so because none of this was quiet. Warne and Ponting were shouting during the change of the field. He encouraged Strauss to drive by bowling slower through the air. Strauss was frustrated that his scoring areas were blocked. Hence, Warne delivered a loopy ball which Strauss wanted to drive but missed the line. The ball hit the top of the middle stump. Wicket Number. 700.
Warne’s childhood
Warne about his mother. He says she can somehow deduce the other person with an uncanny ability and it has more often than not worked. His mother is of Polish descent. His mother’s parents and husband left Poland and wanted to travel to America. They went to Naples to get on a ship. They found one but it was the wrong one. It landed in Australia. Warne’s grandfather worked in a lime factory in Geelong and didn’t see the family for 6 months because they were taken to Bonegilla upon arrival in Australia. He somehow found them and alongwith another family, started to work at the Ford factory.
His mother at the age of 13, was dragged out of school and was made to work on the farmland that her father bought from an unknown. His parents and grandparents worked really hard to be able to make a living. The grandparents passed away in their 50s. Warne also shares about his traumatic childhood when he had a major head injury after which he was plastered from neck to knee.
Warne’s father
Warne’s father did not have any professional qualifications. Hence, he did all kinds of jobs, cane cutting, house reblocking and sales jobs until he landed a good one at Prudential Insurance. His mother wasn’t different either. Cleaning and washing other homes. Warne also spent a lot of time with his father. Cleaning the car and going on long trips with him. His good friend was David Beck who once saved Warne’s life when he fell and knocked his head over one of the edges. Beck saw him and pulled him up to save him.
His early school and his interests
Warne went to Sandringham Primary School. He played football and cricket at the school. He was also paid 10 cents per week which can also be supplemented with household work. His choice of sport was Tennis at that time. Cricket captured his imagination after the introduction of the Kerry Packer World Series. However, he still preferred football and would rather be at the beach than spend 6 hours on the field. It was not until he turned 11, that he developed an interest in the game. His father took him and his brother to cricket games and stayed behind to watch. After the game, the boys will spend sometime with their father. Warne’s football skills improved so much that he was picked for a representative side. However, he was also good at Tennis, so stopped playing football for about a year.
The following summer, he performed well with the ball against the school named Mentone. At the sametime, he also did pretty well in football. However, he was offered a scholarship by the Mentone school and that stopped football.
For the school, he played as a batsman who can bowl. As days went by, he performed in most of the games and ended up as the captain. He was quite naughty in the class. The principal, Jones, has whacked him multiple times on his bottom and told him to mend his ways. Strict punishment was the norm in those days. Getting a beating with the ruler and other kinds of punishments. However, the children of now are having a rather easier time. Warne feels that somewhere in the middle of the two extremes lies true discipline. Warne concludes the childhood by writing about his brother Jason who was also good in sports but frequent injuries laid him low.
Other Warne blogs