Following the Gatting delivery, quite a few counties approached Warne to play for them but Kerry Packer advised him to remain fresh for Australia. In 1999, the chairman of Hampshire again approached him and offered a good contract. Warne was undecided when Robin Smith, the former England batsman and Hampshire batsman, approached him again. Smith told Warne that Hampshire is a small county side with some talent but lacked leadership. They party a lot and do not take the game seriously. Would Warne be willing to induce the winning mindset into the group? Michael Cohen, persuaded Warne to appoint him as his UK agent. He came up with a Hampshire contract worth 150K GBP per year plus car, house and flight. The offer was too good and the chance to turnaround a struggling county was too hard to miss. Warne agreed and signed up with Hampshire.
The Hampshire years
20 years on, Michael Cohen’s MPC managed Warne in England. First day at Hampshire, Warne asked Peter Hartley to introduce him to the team thinking that he was the manager and would be around 50. Most of the Hampshire players were over the hill unable to move out. It turned out that he was the opening bowler for Hampshire at the age of 40. During the game, Warne was surprised by the pace Peter generated. Ever since they have become good friends. At the club, Warne the captain, wasn’t amused by what he witnessed. No one in the team took the game seriously. They were all happy to just spend time on their phone and not worry about how they bowled or were dismissed.
At the end of the season, chairman Rod Bransgrove asked for his opinion because he wanted him to come back. Warne snapped and let go of all his frustrations like supporting each other, no beers during the game and only when an important win was achieved among various other grievances. He returned 4 years later and his message to the team was we are playing the game to win. Other counties must fear facing upto Hampshire and they must respect this team. Every run scored and every wicket taken must be towards winning the game. Warne’s brilliance led the county to be promoted to Division 1. Warne increased the confidence of the guys so much that they felt they could not be defeated and win from anywhere. They were all supercharged for all the games.
In a couple of years, along with the promotion to Division 1, Warne took the team almost to the title win itself. Warne’s popularity with the club was so enormous that a stand at the Ageas Bowl was named after him.
The Asher fever
Warne for his part, did not grow up salivating about the Ashes. His interest in cricket kickstarted only after Australia won 4-0 in 1989. He gained enormous interest when he was picked for the 1993 tour to England. The first game of any Ashes series is always bigger than the game itself. For freshers, they begin to understand its legacy and about past players. The Ashes is even bigger now with the media and the boards wanting the milk it harder. Ashes defines the career of an English and an Australian. Andrew Flintoff whose overall record is mediocre is a superstar because of that one series in 2005. Ashes became predictable between 1989 and 2003 when Aussies won every series.
Both England and Australia knew that the Australians would win. So much so that Channel Nine did not bid for the rights to the 2005 series. England won that series and Warne had a little part in that. He recommended for KP to be part of England. KP played a significant role in that series. Prior to the start of the series, Warne did not feel that confident. He believed that he was bowling horribly. He spent sometime with Terry Jenner. After 5 hours in the nets the day before the first Test.
It helped in that on the morning of the first Test, he was excited and his mind was clear.
Preparation
The ideal preparation is both physical and mental. If you have something on your mind, it is better to clear it so that you can feel fresh and relaxed. Warne is certain that before any game, he needs his mental health secured so that he can concentrate. He practised hard until he felt alright with slip catching and ground fielding thrown in between.
What he never understood was the need to play football on the morning of a Test match. He believed that the preparation must be completed a day before the game and on the day of the match, just warmup is enough. Yeah, he was also against the stupid huddle thing that every team now does before going into the field before every session. It is ridiculous.
Warne’s views about John Buchanan
At the highest level, you are expected to be ready and the coach is merely a facilitator. At the highest level, it is more about mentoring and guiding. He never rated John Buchanan as a coach. Buchanan coached by the book and let analytics overtake common sense. He never understood any of his methods because it led to disharmony and sometimes, conflict.
He then moves onto write about the 2005 Ashes followed by the revenge series in 2007. Just before the start of the 2007 series, Buchanan conducted a boot camp. Warne did not see the point in carrying cans of water up the hills, pushing cars, reporting in the jungle, explosions after dark and singing the team song in the jungle. There were strict rules that included no smoking and Warne did not agree. After a compromise of allowing Warne to smoke discreetly, he went on to the camp.
During the camp, when they were awoken by an explosion, Buchanan spoke about how great is Australia and what the baggy green should mean to all of them. Warne is adamant that you do not have to worship the cap or even wear it to show your love for the country. Throughout his career, Warne refused to wear the baggy green on the field. He never really liked Buchanan.
Other parts of the autobiography
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-his-family/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-his-childhood/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-terry-jenner/
https://icricketcritique.com/shane-warne-and-fixing-allegations/
https://icricketcritique.com/warne-and-the-art-of-spin/
https://icricketcritique.com/warne-surgery-and-pay-dispute/
https://icricketcritique.com/warne-and-wisden-and-the-diuretic/