On Warne

Shane Warne is one of the most fascinating sports people on the planet. You might not follow cricket, you may never have even seen Warne in cricket ground, yet you know who he is, what he looks like and what is going on in his personal life at any given time. Selected as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, Warne dazzled opposition and cricket fans with his bowling on the crease, and outspokenness and scandals off it. Gideon Haigh, one of the world's most celebrated cricket journalists, tackles this great personality in his unique style. How has Warne shaped sport and how has sport has shaped him? Who is the real man behind the back page and front page headlines? Gideon Haigh on Shane Warne is an irresistible pairing: 'the finest cricket writer alive' ( The Australian ) on the greatest cricketer of our times. The resulting masterpiece is as much about our fascination with Warnie as it is about the player himself. Who doesn't know the name Shane Warne? Now that the Australian cricketer who dominated airwaves and headlines for twenty years has turned full-time celebrity and media event, his sporting conquests and controversies are receding steadily into the past. But what was it like to watch Warne at his long peak, the man of a thousand international wickets, the incarnation of Australian audacity and cheek? Our leading cricket writer, Gideon Haigh, lived and loved the Warne era, when the impossible was everyday, and the sensational every other day. In On Warne , he relives the era's highs, its lows, its fun and its follies. Drawing on interviews conducted with Warne over the course of a decade, and two decades of watching him play, Haigh assesses this greatest of sportsmen as cricketer, character, comrade, newsmaker and national figure a natural in an increasingly regimented time, a simplifier in a growingly complicated world. The result is one of the finest cricket books ever written, a whole new way of looking at its subject, at sport, and at Australia. One day, you might be asked what cricket in the time of Warne was like. On Warne is the definitive account. The Cricket Society/mcc Book Of The Year And The British Sports Book Awards Cricket Book Of The Year. Shane Warne Is One Of The Most Fascinating Sports People On The Planet. You Might Not Follow Cricket, You May Never Have Even Seen Warne Play, Yet You Know Who He Is, What He Looks Like And What Is Going On In His Personal Life At Any Given Time. Selected As One Of Five Wisden Cricketers Of The Century, Warne Dazzled Opposition Batsmen With His Bowling And Thrilled Cricket Fans With His Skills, Outspokenness And Scandals Off The Pitch. Gideon Haigh, One Of The World's Most Celebrated Cricket Journalists, Tackles This Great Personality In His Unique Style. How Has Warne Shaped His Sport And How Has His Sport Shaped Him? Who Is The Real Man Behind The Back Page And Front Page Headlines? This Short Book Reveals More About Warne Than Any Number Of Other, Much Longer, Volumes Could Ever Do. As The Cricketer Said: It Is 'definitive'. 'A superb portrait of the most brilliant cricketer of his generation' Mike Atherton Shane Warne dominated cricket on the field and off for almost thirty years - his skill, his fame, his personality, his misadventures. His death in March 2002 rocked Australians, even those who could not tell a leg-break from a leg-pull. But what was it like to watch Warne at his long peak, the man of a thousands international wickets, the incarnation of Aussie audacity and cheek? Gideon Haigh saw it all, still can't quite believe it, but wanted to find a way to explain it. In this classic appreciation of Australia's cricket's greatest figure, who doubled as the nation's best-known man, Haigh relieves the highs, the lows, the fun and the follies. The result is a new way of looking at Warne, at sport and at Australia. 'Bloody brilliant... As good as anything I have read on the game' Guardian Winner of The Cricket Society and MCC Book of the Year Australia's greatest cricketer by one of the world's most celebrated cricket journalists