CRANE LIFT FOR ROOT

WATCHING Shane Warne bowl inspired Mason Crane to take up cricket but he hopes to make a better start to Test cricket than his hero.

The spinner, 20, got his first bowl in the final Test of what has been a disappointing tour for Joe Root’s men.

He sent down plenty of good stuff on the same ground where Warne made his debut 26 years ago this week. And even though his first 17 overs in the big time were wicketless, Crane hopes it will lead him to at least a fraction of the figures Warne produced by the end of his career. The Aussie bowled in just one innings and took 1-150 against India before going on to take a remarkable 708 wickets in a recordbreaking career. Crane, asked whether he knew about the Australian’s tricky debut, said: “I did and I’m hoping for slightly better figures. He turned into a great bowler and I’m sure it was character-building for him.”

As for his own performance on his first bowl in Test cricket, Crane (left) said: “It was awesome. I was naturally a little bit nervous but also really excited and I had great fun.

“The ball came out nicely and it’s something to build on, but it is Test cricket, and it’s very tough. I was expecting that.

“Bowling to very good players, there is not much margin for error – but it’s why we play the game.”