Warnie took me under his wing and I’d never have played for England without him
CHRIS TREMLETT
SHANE WARNE was never one to do things by the book.
But the note the Aussie great penned to Chris Tremlett in his autobiography when it was published is still treasured by a man who would go on to play a key role in England’s Ashes triumph in 2010/11 as Warne watched on from the commentary box.
“It was 2005 and I had just got picked for England for the first time,” said Tremlett.
“He wrote a little message for me in his book, ‘I hope the penny has dropped mate’, and then signed it.
“I’ll never forget that. Even when he retired and I was playing for England, I would always catch up with him and would still listen to his advice. He wasn’t just a great cricketer, he was a good friend. “He was very tough on me at Hampshire, but at the same time I always listened to him. “He was certainly the most inspirational and influential person in my career. Would I have played for England without him? I’m not sure, but I certainly wouldn’t have played for them as early as I did. “He took me under his wing when I was at Hampshire and he really changed my mindset – he completely altered the way I thought about things and how I could get to the top. “I was in touch with him at the start of the week and he was in good spirits. It’s just so sad. He was always the life and soul of party – you could never accuse him of not living life to the fullest.
“I think Glenn Mcgrath said that he had lived a normal person’s life 20 times over and that’s probably true.”
The outpouring of grief, within the cricket community and those who have no links to the sport, is an indication of just how many lives Warne touched.
But for all his superstar qualities and fame, it was his ability with the ball in his hand that turned him from a kid who grew up wanting to play Aussie Rules to perhaps the greatest cricketer to play the game.
From his ‘Ball of the Century’ to Mike Gatting in the summer of 1993 to the moment he called time on his career at the end of the 2006/07 Ashes, Warne tormented England’s batsmen in series after series.
Despite the pain he inflicted, though, Warne was an inspiration for a generation of English
players. “I was lucky to play with him for four or five years at Hampshire and he pretty much transformed us as a county,” added Tremlett.
“He would never ever say die. Even if a team needed 10 to win and had 10 wickets left he would still believe.
“I remember one game against Glamorgan. He had been out the night before and got absolutely no sleep. I think they needed something like 130 to win on the final day and he just turned round and said ‘we’re going to win today, boys.’
“He took six or seven wickets and we did! The cricket world won’t be the same without him.”