Shane Warne
Arguably the greatest spin bowler in the universe, with one of the greatest game-brains ever conceived, Warne's command of line, length and revolutions was second to none, while his ability to keep cool under fire transcended formats. T20 cricket came too late for him to showcase his fullest repertoire but, as an ever-conniving captain of Rajasthan Royals, he chivvied his unfancied squad to the inaugural IPL title in 2008. With an endless repertoire of variations - some real, several imagined - he would doubtless have outpsyched a host of hard-hitting sluggers in his pomp.
Malcolm Marshall
With his sidewinder approach, searing pace and skiddy action, Marshall was arguably the most unnerving fast bowler the world has ever known. The most skilful member of West Indies' pace battery of the 1980s, Marshall's unerringly accurate bouncer would spit like a cobra before any batsman had enough time to size up its length, but it was his ability - in his latter years - to throttle back the speed and concentrate on devious swing and cut that underlined what an intelligent player he was. He'd have had a weapon for every situation, not least - one suspects - when guarding his team at the death.
...[ Continue to next page ]
Share This Post