On a special episode of the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast celebrating the life of Shane Warne, Simon Katich paid tribute to the legendary leg-spinner who died last Friday at the age of 52.
Former Australia opener Katich, who played 56 Tests from 2001 to 2010, played both international and county cricket with Warne, with the pair sharing a dressing room at Hampshire.
Speaking to Wisden from Rawalpindi, where he is currently working as a commentator during the Test series between Pakistan and Australia, Katich recalled his days as a teammate of Warne’s.
“I learnt so much from him and he had a huge impact on my career because of that association, playing with him at Hampshire but also playing with him in the Australian Test team,” Katich said.
“I think the other thing that stood out was that, because I bowled part-time leggies, when we were in Sri Lanka for that first tour [in 1999, Katich’s first tour with Australia], he took time and took me aside to teach me about the art of leg-spin bowling, and I was only learning at that stage. A couple of those tips that he gave to me with my action, I kept with me in my mind throughout my whole career, and they certainly had a big impact. Obviously, I wasn’t to the same standard as Warnie but his love of sharing that knowledge was second to none.
“It’s already been said so many times that he was a legendary player, but from our perspective, as teammates and mates, he was a legend of a bloke because you knew where you stood with Warnie. There was no grey; it was black and white. I loved that about him. I loved how he cared about his teammates, he was always very good to me. What probably a lot of people don’t know about him is that for those of us that saw him personally and got to know him, he was very respectful of our families, our friends or anyone associated that would come to games and he got to meet them.
“I always saw first-hand at Hampshire how good he was with the young kids, taking the time to have photos, sign autographs, all that sort of stuff. And I think that’s what endeared him to people all around the world. We saw that first-hand in Australia, but I saw it first-hand in England with Hampshire and then touring with him Australia over so many years.”
Katich also discussed playing under Warne’s leadership during their time together at Hampshire. While Warne was never granted the opportunity to captain Australia at Test level, he led their one-day side for 11 matches in 1999 and skippered Hampshire from 2004 to 2007.
“He was a magnificent captain,” Katich added. “He didn’t get that chance to do it as much for Australia as potentially he would’ve liked. But having seen him captain at Hampshire, he made the game fun, he was always making the game move forward, whether it was with the bat, as captain, or with the ball.
“He tried to bring in things that challenged us as teammates. We had a six-hitting competition at Hampshire, across all formats, because he wanted us as batsmen to put pressure on the opposition team and to take the game forward. Personally, it probably wasn’t my style as a player, but I loved it, because it took me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to start to be a bit more aggressive. In the end, it had a really positive effect. I certainly learned a huge amount from him as a captain, as a player and as a teammate.”
Discussing Warne’s legacy, Katich said: “There’s no doubt he kept leg-spin, or the art of leg-spin bowling, alive, particularly when he first burst on the scene, with the Gatting ball and all that. But I think it’s going to keep going on for generation and generation. Because I know when the news broke the other morning, and I rang home, my 11-year-old son, who bowls leggies, he started crying because he realised he was never going to meet Warnie and he desperately wanted to meet Warnie. Unfortunately, I never got round to organising that for him. That just highlights that it doesn’t matter what generation it is, Warnie’s legacy will remain for the history of the game and for centuries to come.
“Yes, he’s been taken far too soon, but we all know that he lived life to the fullest. He crammed a number of lifetimes into those 52 years. It was an absolute pleasure and privilege to call him a teammate and a mate. He’ll be sorely missed. From a family perspective, really saddened and feel for Bridgette and Keith, his mum and dad, and his brother, Jason, and his kids, Brooke, Jackson and Summer. May he rest in peace, the King.”
