Barry's Beef

Awesome picture cortesy of Cricinfo

S.K. Warne will go into history as the greatest spinner the world has ever seen. I just think the guy is fantastic. The pressure he puts on to the whole opposition batting line-up when he comes on to bowl is almost impossible to quantify. Whenever Warne came on against England in the 2005 Ashes, England fans jumped behind the sofa and watched through their fingers convinced Warne was about to rip through the plucky English batsmen. He did, but ultimately with Glenn McGrath injured it was a sysiphean task too far). 40 wickets in 5 tests remains a sensational and remarkable achievement.
I think he's a great guy, plays the game with a smile on his face, but still manages to sledge everyone. Just sheer class. And his middle name is Keith.
However, the great man outdid himself during the currently ongoing First Test between Australia and South Africa (Nelson Mandela, Jan Smuts, Peter Hain, Steve Biko, Chris Barnard your boys are taking a hell of a beating) with a juggling act of Coco the Clown proportions. Jacques Rudolph, the Proteas left-hander, nibbled at a Michael Kasprowicz delivery edging it at regulation height and speed to bucket-hands Warne at slip. Momentarily it looked like Warne had dropped a sitter (just like at the Oval - the infamous "You just dropped the Ashes") and was about to fall on his arse and look like a fool. However, as he fell backwards with the ball still in the air he managed to kick it to Adam Gilchrist, the Aussie wicketkeeper, who snaffled a simple chance. Shane Warne, you are fantastic. Long live the king. If anyone gives a sh*t, I'll be doing a post on the current best Test XI in the world. Guess who's my spinner?