In just over a fortnight the government will announce the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours. We believe the time has come for that list to recognise – in the form of a knighthood – the greatest cricketer many of us have ever witnessed. Shane Keith Warne.
It might seem strange that we, as an England supporters’ blog, are lobbying for an Australian to receive the ultimate civil honour. So let’s explain our thinking…
The very finest cricketers are always knighted As long as they’re subjects of the British monarch, that is. Colin Cowdrey, Jack Hobbs, Don Bradman, Len Hutton, Viv Richards, Richard Hadlee, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott all felt the touch of HM’s sword on their shoulders. Warney would hardly feel embarrassed in their company.
Plenty of far less accomplished cricketers have been rewarded with a K – including Gubby Allen, who only played 25 tests, and Plum Warner, who played 15 (both were also leading administrators). Neville Cardus got one merely for writing about the game, while in 1929 Fred Toone became Sir Fred for his role as Leicestershire secretary and England tour manager. If that’s enough for a gong, surely SKW’s 708 test wickets surely are too.
His stature Warne is the second highest test wicket taker in history, and by any measure must be ranked in the top five cricketers of all time. In recent decades, has any single player exerted more influence on the outcome of so many test matches for such a long period of time? Aside from the stats, his dynamism and distinctiveness changed the whole culture of international cricket, its very character even. Few have ever left a greater mark on the game.
Wasn’t he a rascal, though? In what way? Warne served a one-year suspension for using a banned substance – an ingredient of a diet pill – which was accepted to be accidental, rather than an attempt to cheat. He is unlikely to be proud either of his marital conduct or choice of text messages – but neither misdemeanour was relevant to his professional career. Warne was never a saint, certainly. But neither was Ian Botham. Sorry – Sir Ian Botham.
But isn’t he the enemy? Warne humiliated England for fourteen years, dismissing 195 of our batsmen – an Ashes record. But during those swaggering years of Australian hegemony, he was refreshing rebellious. Warne rejected the pompous ethos of the Steve Waugh-John Buchanan regime – and stuck two fingers up at their arrogant myth-making and cod-psychology. He even refused to wear the holy Baggy Green cap, seditiously insisting on the white floppy. He moaned publicly about the boot camps, and – best of all – disliked Ricky Ponting.
Warne may have been our chief tormentor for so long, but nowadays we’ve grown rather fond of him. He understands England and the English better than any Australian bar Benaud. He is generous to our players (a close friend of several of them), and never tribal in the way Allan Border or Merv Hughes were. He was a great servant to Hampshire, and his TV commentary is superb.
She’s his Queen too As the Barmy Army never tire of telling Australian supporters:
“God save YOUR gracious Queen, long live YOUR noble Queen, God save YOUR queen. Send her victorious, happy and glorious, long may she reign over YOU, God save YOUR Queen”.
And they’re right. Elizabeth II is also Australia’s monarch, and Warney is as much her subject as you or me. He’s therefore more than entitled to royally-bestowed honours. The point being – what goes around, comes around. If we’re happy to stick the monarchical taunts to the Aussies, we must accept the flip-side too.
Maxie Allen
I can’t argue with any of this, our lot having got MBE’s just for winning the ’05 ashes (could have sworn that they were supposed to do that anyway)
I was sat at Old Trafford on that day in ’93 when he bamboozled Gatt and have been a big fan ever since. My 6th old son bowled leg breaks last week after watching a Rajistan game and there was no prouder father anywhere.
It’s not often I wish good things to happen to Aussie cricketers but in this case…
Arise Sir Shane!
Thanks Mark. Interestingly, only one Australian cricketer – Bradman – has ever been knighted. Bill Woodfull was offered one but declined it. Maybe other, republican-minded Aussies have too.
How old’s your son – 6 months?
That’s what you get for letting apple correct your text! My son is 6 and is playing his first season of under 9’s cricket this year. He bowls just outside leg and it turns past off. He had me rewinding and playing the Sky so he could work out how to bowl like warney.
Very well argued Maxie. Makes it hard to argue with! However, I can see two problems with knighting Warne. 1. There’s a good chance he would turn it down – now that’s certainly going to cause embarrassment & devalue knighthoods a tad. 2. You talk about Sir Ian Botham, but it must be remembered that he was knighted due to all his charity work as much as his cricket. Warnie hasn’t quite done the same. Services to poker???!