Losing a legend

Warne has been the most extraordinary, exotic and entertaining cricketer the game has known. In his hands, a cricket ball could perform previously unconsidered gyrations, spinning at right angles, skidding like a puck upon ice, changing directions after an initial curl or else dropping sharply to leave the batsman groping at thin air.

Warne's total and absolute self-belief is his greatest friend on the field and his worst enemy off it. A legspinner is a gambler and a charlatan by trade. He tosses the ball up and invites the batsman to go after him. He uses three-card tricks, thimbles, smoke, mirrors and good old fashioned bullshit to pull off the confidence trick that is his every wicket. On the street it is arrogance, on the field it is art.

How do you replace the irreplaceable? This is the question Australia will confront when it addresses life without Shane Warne and, in all probability, Glenn McGrath next summer. The dip that we all knew was coming some day has landed on our doorstep sooner than we expected.

Whereas Clark can be compared favourably with McGrath, the younger spinners mentioned barely hold a candle to Warne at present. And with Damien Martyn already gone from the game - and Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist nearing retirement age - Australia now appears to be witnessing the beginnings of the break-up of an extraordinary side.

Hughes said the selection panel did not want to repeat the mistakes of the 1980s when Test greats Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rodney Marsh all retired at once and the team went into freefall. “It would be irresponsible for selectors to let five quality players like that go at the one time,” Hughes said before yesterday's news broke. “We really haven't discussed it, sat down and nutted it out, but I suppose if the players were feeling very generous and wanted to take the pressure off the selectors, they could do a Damien Martyn and make our job a lot easier."