'An entertainer with enormous charisma' - Greg Chappell pays heartfelt tribute to Shane Warne

Shane Warne’s untimely death has shaken one and all across the global cricket fraternity with numerous tributes pouring in for the cricketer since his passing. The latest of those coming from another of Australia’s legends, Greg Chappell. 

Chappell reserved the choicest of praises for the bowler by calling him an illusionist with the ball while also citing the words of a famed poet to express his admiration. During and even after his playing career, Warne was lauded by many as the greatest leg-spinner to have played the sport.

Chappell further commented on the late cricketer being a larger-than-life figure, calling him an ‘entertainer’. The former Australian captain also credited Warne for his role in bringing the art of leg-spin to the attention of many.

‘When I think of Shane Warne, I think of the words of American naturalist, poet and writer Henry David Thoreau: ‘It’s not what you look at, it is what you see.’ Shane Warne was an illusionist first and a great leg-spin bowler second,” Chappell wrote in his column for ‘Sydney Morning Herald’.

“Shane was more than just a leg spinner. He was an entertainer with enormous charisma who attracted attention wherever he went. His success generated millions of viewers to the game and brought the art of leg-spin to life. It also spawned a new generation of leg spinners who tried to walk up to the crease and let it rip! What they didn’t have was Shane’s brute strength and native cunning, so very few have reached great heights,” he added.

What you got with Shane wasn’t necessarily what you saw: Greg Chappell

During his playing career and beyond, Warne was seen as an individual with utmost flamboyance. While he had his admirers, the bowler also often stayed in the headlines for his off-field controversies and had a fair share of detractors.

The star cricketer had a bittersweet relationship with the media as he was not always covered by the press for the right reasons. Thus many observers were critical of how he carried himself off the field. Commenting on the same, Chappell said it was not easy to get a real perspective of Warne’s personality as most of the opinions that were formed on him were at the back of what was shown in the media and that to know him better one had to be in close contact with him.

“What you got with Shane wasn’t necessarily what you saw. You only got what he let you see. Most people’s impressions of him were coloured by what they gleaned from the way he was depicted in the media. That, often, only touched the surface,” he wrote.