ant_bateman's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
confessions_of_a_bookaholic's review against another edition
3.0
Everyone in Australia knows Shane Warne's story - or at least thinks they do. The larikin leg spinner who broke records, and one of Wisden's cricketers of the century. This is Warne's chance to tell things his way.
I have grown up watching cricket, and spent a lot of years involved in grass roots clubs, so it's safe to say I knew who Shane Warne was long before I moved over to Australia. Regardless of where you are from he was a legend of the game, and someone well respected for his achievements.
I was lent a copy of this by a colleague who I often chat with about cricket, and he had mentioned to me that the technical aspects and discussion of the game were excellent. He wasn't wrong. I found the insight into how Warne got into the opositions' heads during the game absolutely fascinating, and I think it's safe to say that he has one of the best understandings of the game the world has ever seen.
The off-field stuff is less fascinating. For someone who has lived such a colourful life, a lot of it is played down or not really talked about. I did expect that in some ways, and I can appreciate that there are details and aspects of life that involve and impact others, and as such aren't for public discussion. One thing that is clear though is that Warne had some great relationships. The friendship he had with his ex wife and the strong bond with him and his kids makes it clear that he was a much loved character (if that wasn't already clear).
The thing that I struggled with were that the book doesn't really follow a linear timeline, it jumps backwards and forwards as Warne discusses particular events in his life and career. I think the intention with this is to give the book a conversational tone, but I found it made things a little harder to follow.
Ultimately anyone who loves the game of cricket will get a lot out of reading this. The way Warne could see the game, the strategy and his thoughts on how things should go for the future are captivating. He was truly an entertainer and an incredibly talented player. It's a huge shame that he is no longer with us and able to share his talents with the cricketing community.
I have grown up watching cricket, and spent a lot of years involved in grass roots clubs, so it's safe to say I knew who Shane Warne was long before I moved over to Australia. Regardless of where you are from he was a legend of the game, and someone well respected for his achievements.
I was lent a copy of this by a colleague who I often chat with about cricket, and he had mentioned to me that the technical aspects and discussion of the game were excellent. He wasn't wrong. I found the insight into how Warne got into the opositions' heads during the game absolutely fascinating, and I think it's safe to say that he has one of the best understandings of the game the world has ever seen.
The off-field stuff is less fascinating. For someone who has lived such a colourful life, a lot of it is played down or not really talked about. I did expect that in some ways, and I can appreciate that there are details and aspects of life that involve and impact others, and as such aren't for public discussion. One thing that is clear though is that Warne had some great relationships. The friendship he had with his ex wife and the strong bond with him and his kids makes it clear that he was a much loved character (if that wasn't already clear).
The thing that I struggled with were that the book doesn't really follow a linear timeline, it jumps backwards and forwards as Warne discusses particular events in his life and career. I think the intention with this is to give the book a conversational tone, but I found it made things a little harder to follow.
Ultimately anyone who loves the game of cricket will get a lot out of reading this. The way Warne could see the game, the strategy and his thoughts on how things should go for the future are captivating. He was truly an entertainer and an incredibly talented player. It's a huge shame that he is no longer with us and able to share his talents with the cricketing community.
read_with_taran's review against another edition
4.0
Being an ardent cricket fan, this book was positioned quite high up on my TBR. Coincidentally, I finished it hours before the news of the legend's passing away. The book highlights the life and career of not only one of the best players ever but also someone who was a keen observer of the game. The book follows Warnie's cricketing from playing Botham to lifting the World Cup under Waugh to finishing as the second highest wicket taker of all times in Test Cricket. The journey entails various highs and lows including the "ball of the century", various injuries, his one year ban in 2003 and leading the Rajasthan Royals to their first IPL victory.
The book speaks a lot about Shane as a character. He is a person who is well aware of his shortcomings both as a cricketer and as a person. Through his book he tries to deliver his best, sharing all his experiences and also sharing his sense of humour. He does not hold back and addresses topics that others like him would have totally avoided. He doesn't shy away from revealing the tough secrets of the dressing room(for instance, their obsession with the baggy green) and that's the beauty of it.
The book speaks a lot about Shane as a character. He is a person who is well aware of his shortcomings both as a cricketer and as a person. Through his book he tries to deliver his best, sharing all his experiences and also sharing his sense of humour. He does not hold back and addresses topics that others like him would have totally avoided. He doesn't shy away from revealing the tough secrets of the dressing room(for instance, their obsession with the baggy green) and that's the beauty of it.
gwilloughby's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
Amazing book for cricket lovers and anyone with a passion for winning!
readwithshashank's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
I have been a sports fan for most of my life. Cricket is a popular sport in India, though the game has been losing its charm due to the match-fixing controversies and a general overdose. I was never a great player but would consider myself a keen observer of the game and spent time maintaining statistics and following specific players. One particular player I always was wowed by was Shane Keith Warne for his bowling and overall aura on the field.
His death was a big shock and happened too soon; sincere condolences to his family and friends. I had to reach his autobiography to understand Warnie better, and the book did not let me down. I picked the e-book and bought the Audible version, and so did my simultaneous read-listen in this one. Mark Nicholas has also done an excellent job and is a keen observer of the game.
The book covers Warne's life as a player – starting with a flop footy career, life as a non-serious but promising cricketer ending with over 700 test wickets. His cricketing journey began in Australia, after which he moved to England to play county cricket, where all the bowling helped him hone his skills and become a more threatening bowler. He covers his experience with the national team in reasonable detail – the highs include the 'Ball of the Century', Ashes victories and World Cup wins and other series. The disappointments include a few losses that hurt, some untimely injuries post which he was dropped a couple of times and missing out on a test century. He also accepts his disappointment in missing out on a long stint as Australia cricket team captain, something I believe he deserved. His career ended with the Indian Premier League, where Warnie led the unheralded Rajasthan Royals to become champions in the tournament's first edition.
Warne has also credited the people who made a massive impact on his life, like Terry Jenner and others. He has been equally honest about people and events he didn't get very impressed with, including some of his coaches and captains/ seniors – the example about 'worshipping the baggy green' is one such case.
I expected Warne not to hold back, and he sure did not; he ripped enough googlies and flippers and handled topics other people would have avoided by addressing them head-on. He delivers his best as always, and his book is full of googlies, flippers and leg breaks which leave the reader mesmerised. He has been honest about his personal life too, and he has not shied away from the controversies that were part of his life.
The book confirms my belief that he's the best captain Australia didn't have. RR fans would concur, I guess. Hats off to a special player and a great human being.
Thanks, Warnie! You left us too soon.
His death was a big shock and happened too soon; sincere condolences to his family and friends. I had to reach his autobiography to understand Warnie better, and the book did not let me down. I picked the e-book and bought the Audible version, and so did my simultaneous read-listen in this one. Mark Nicholas has also done an excellent job and is a keen observer of the game.
The book covers Warne's life as a player – starting with a flop footy career, life as a non-serious but promising cricketer ending with over 700 test wickets. His cricketing journey began in Australia, after which he moved to England to play county cricket, where all the bowling helped him hone his skills and become a more threatening bowler. He covers his experience with the national team in reasonable detail – the highs include the 'Ball of the Century', Ashes victories and World Cup wins and other series. The disappointments include a few losses that hurt, some untimely injuries post which he was dropped a couple of times and missing out on a test century. He also accepts his disappointment in missing out on a long stint as Australia cricket team captain, something I believe he deserved. His career ended with the Indian Premier League, where Warnie led the unheralded Rajasthan Royals to become champions in the tournament's first edition.
Warne has also credited the people who made a massive impact on his life, like Terry Jenner and others. He has been equally honest about people and events he didn't get very impressed with, including some of his coaches and captains/ seniors – the example about 'worshipping the baggy green' is one such case.
I expected Warne not to hold back, and he sure did not; he ripped enough googlies and flippers and handled topics other people would have avoided by addressing them head-on. He delivers his best as always, and his book is full of googlies, flippers and leg breaks which leave the reader mesmerised. He has been honest about his personal life too, and he has not shied away from the controversies that were part of his life.
The book confirms my belief that he's the best captain Australia didn't have. RR fans would concur, I guess. Hats off to a special player and a great human being.
Thanks, Warnie! You left us too soon.
venkyloquist's review against another edition
4.0
Shane Keith Warne’s only approach towards the game of cricket was one rooted in intensity. An approach that never took any prisoners and brooked no opposition. An aggressive in-your-face, no holds barred attitude, which more likely than not, won a multitude of games for Australia, some of which literally involved wresting victory from the gaping jaws of defeat! It is this same barn burning tactic which the ‘Sultan of Spin’ brings to the fore in his recent offering, an autobiography that is unsurprisingly titled, “No Spin”. Written along with the redoubtable Mark Nicholas, “No Spin” (“the book”) is explosive, energetic and in more passages than some, extraordinary.
Unashamed in content and unsparing in context, Shane Warne’s memoir is to put it mildly – an eclectic collection of exploits and eccentricities. Delectable on-field performances clash with deplorable off the field adventures, (misadventures rather), as Warne strives to lay bare the various nuances which both constitutes his persona and makes it tick.
Whether it be the magic ‘ball of the century’ which heralded the entry into the cricketing world, of the greatest leg spinner (or arguably even bowler) in the history of the game – but not before leaving Mike Gatting in a shambolic state of befuddlement – or an immoral tryst that involved two women and an inflatable sex toy (yes you read that right), Shane Warne’s life has been a roller coaster saga whose sweep has been unbelievably broad to embrace within its ambit the admirable and the abominable. The awe-inspiring magician who could change the course of any form of the game with an unparalleled sleight of hand could also be a naïve man who was forced to miss a World Cup for his country after swallowing a diuretic, courtesy the educated recommendation of his mother!
Mark Nicholas and Shane Warne take on in an uninhibited manner the task of reconciling the very cleave which, while lending an aura of invincibility to Warne the cricketer, also births an attribute of vulnerability, in Warne, the human being. The Monarch of all he surveys within and around the twenty yards of many a hallowed cricketing turfs across the world is reduced to remaining a torn individual racked by a plethora of emotions outside of the playing arena.
The inimitable and abrasive personality of Shane Warne, inevitably results not just in differences of opinion but also in simmering feuds. Shane Warne, in his book reignites one such feud and reopens an old wound that has at its center piece the former Australian skipper, Steve Waugh. Slamming Waugh for an attitude that Warne perceives to be self-centered, Warne ensures that no punches are held back as he launches into a blistering tirade against his former team mate. “Steve Waugh was the most selfish player I ever played with and was only worried about averaging 50. It was about a lack of loyalty. Pretty childish, I know, but that’s the way it was.” Recalling an incident where Waugh dropped Shane Warne from the playing XI against the West Indies contrary to accepted wisdom, Warne holds forth, “Disappointed is not a strong enough word. When the crunch came Tugga didn’t support me, and I felt so totally let down by someone who I had supported big time and was also a good friend. I lost a bit of respect for him after that. I believe he should have backed me — as I always believe the art of captaincy is to support your players and back them every time. This gains the respect from the players and makes them play for you. He didn’t, it’s history, but I never found it easy with him after that.”
Former Australian Coach John Buchanan also comes in for some criticism, especially in relation to his unconventional methods of coaching that involved reading excerpts from Sun Tzu’s “Art Of War”, going on remorseless boot camps and waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of simulated explosives to belt the “Underneath The Southern Cross” at full volume.
Warne also is refreshingly open about his obsession towards cigarettes and a predilection to alcohol. “Ten Vodka/Red Bulls and 50 darts” represent a night well spent. A few facts about Warne that has not made the rounds in the public domain in general, and outside Australia in particular, get deserving mention in the book. For example, many of Warne’s fan and followers would be pleasantly surprised to note that this legendary leg-spinner is the first man to have got a hole in one with the pin in the back right position at the Augusta Masters. Also the fact that Warne was a talented Australian Rules Football player having clocked in regular games for his beloved club St Kilda is a fact that has been obfuscated to a great extent by his overwhelming exploits with a cricket ball in hand. The book also has its share of wicked wit. A photograph that has Warne turning over his arm under the eagle eyed tutelage of Terry Jenner bears the caption, “with Terry Jenner, the teacher. John Buchanan is in the background, where he should have been more often.” Typical, indomitable Shane Warne!
The author Scott G. Fitzgerald once said, “personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.” However, in the case of Shane Warne, one of the greatest ever sporting legends of any generation, personality has been an unbroken series of gestures, not necessarily successful. This man’s gestures have alternated between spontaneity and confidence, oscillated between gestures of conviction and indiscretion. Nevertheless, they have been gestures animated by freedom and exemplified by naturalness. The gestures fizz with the same verve which induced the fear of the devil in every batsmen as they watched with impending doom the breathtaking trajectory of the ball leaving the conjurer’s hand. In the same way as there was no knowing what would happen to either the delivery or the prospects of the batsman facing up to it, this remarkable human being’s gestures do not lend themselves to prediction.
That’s exactly how it ought to be! For Shane Keith Warne, both cricket and life are tenets of glorious uncertainties!
Unashamed in content and unsparing in context, Shane Warne’s memoir is to put it mildly – an eclectic collection of exploits and eccentricities. Delectable on-field performances clash with deplorable off the field adventures, (misadventures rather), as Warne strives to lay bare the various nuances which both constitutes his persona and makes it tick.
Whether it be the magic ‘ball of the century’ which heralded the entry into the cricketing world, of the greatest leg spinner (or arguably even bowler) in the history of the game – but not before leaving Mike Gatting in a shambolic state of befuddlement – or an immoral tryst that involved two women and an inflatable sex toy (yes you read that right), Shane Warne’s life has been a roller coaster saga whose sweep has been unbelievably broad to embrace within its ambit the admirable and the abominable. The awe-inspiring magician who could change the course of any form of the game with an unparalleled sleight of hand could also be a naïve man who was forced to miss a World Cup for his country after swallowing a diuretic, courtesy the educated recommendation of his mother!
Mark Nicholas and Shane Warne take on in an uninhibited manner the task of reconciling the very cleave which, while lending an aura of invincibility to Warne the cricketer, also births an attribute of vulnerability, in Warne, the human being. The Monarch of all he surveys within and around the twenty yards of many a hallowed cricketing turfs across the world is reduced to remaining a torn individual racked by a plethora of emotions outside of the playing arena.
The inimitable and abrasive personality of Shane Warne, inevitably results not just in differences of opinion but also in simmering feuds. Shane Warne, in his book reignites one such feud and reopens an old wound that has at its center piece the former Australian skipper, Steve Waugh. Slamming Waugh for an attitude that Warne perceives to be self-centered, Warne ensures that no punches are held back as he launches into a blistering tirade against his former team mate. “Steve Waugh was the most selfish player I ever played with and was only worried about averaging 50. It was about a lack of loyalty. Pretty childish, I know, but that’s the way it was.” Recalling an incident where Waugh dropped Shane Warne from the playing XI against the West Indies contrary to accepted wisdom, Warne holds forth, “Disappointed is not a strong enough word. When the crunch came Tugga didn’t support me, and I felt so totally let down by someone who I had supported big time and was also a good friend. I lost a bit of respect for him after that. I believe he should have backed me — as I always believe the art of captaincy is to support your players and back them every time. This gains the respect from the players and makes them play for you. He didn’t, it’s history, but I never found it easy with him after that.”
Former Australian Coach John Buchanan also comes in for some criticism, especially in relation to his unconventional methods of coaching that involved reading excerpts from Sun Tzu’s “Art Of War”, going on remorseless boot camps and waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of simulated explosives to belt the “Underneath The Southern Cross” at full volume.
Warne also is refreshingly open about his obsession towards cigarettes and a predilection to alcohol. “Ten Vodka/Red Bulls and 50 darts” represent a night well spent. A few facts about Warne that has not made the rounds in the public domain in general, and outside Australia in particular, get deserving mention in the book. For example, many of Warne’s fan and followers would be pleasantly surprised to note that this legendary leg-spinner is the first man to have got a hole in one with the pin in the back right position at the Augusta Masters. Also the fact that Warne was a talented Australian Rules Football player having clocked in regular games for his beloved club St Kilda is a fact that has been obfuscated to a great extent by his overwhelming exploits with a cricket ball in hand. The book also has its share of wicked wit. A photograph that has Warne turning over his arm under the eagle eyed tutelage of Terry Jenner bears the caption, “with Terry Jenner, the teacher. John Buchanan is in the background, where he should have been more often.” Typical, indomitable Shane Warne!
The author Scott G. Fitzgerald once said, “personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.” However, in the case of Shane Warne, one of the greatest ever sporting legends of any generation, personality has been an unbroken series of gestures, not necessarily successful. This man’s gestures have alternated between spontaneity and confidence, oscillated between gestures of conviction and indiscretion. Nevertheless, they have been gestures animated by freedom and exemplified by naturalness. The gestures fizz with the same verve which induced the fear of the devil in every batsmen as they watched with impending doom the breathtaking trajectory of the ball leaving the conjurer’s hand. In the same way as there was no knowing what would happen to either the delivery or the prospects of the batsman facing up to it, this remarkable human being’s gestures do not lend themselves to prediction.
That’s exactly how it ought to be! For Shane Keith Warne, both cricket and life are tenets of glorious uncertainties!
indiescribe's review against another edition
3.0
The quality of the writing is unexceptional. To its credit (or not) it reads like an everyday table conversation. The honesty and the humbleness come through, even though his place in cricket's hall of fame could have placed a halo on the head. If you were a fan of the leg-spinning maestro, then this is a good read.