As England cricket captain, no player tormented Michael Vaughan more than Shane Warne.
But in a sign of the monumental figure the leg-spinner came to be and the treasured friendship that blossomed between the two men, Vaughan has capitulated to tears while paying tribute to the Australian cricket legend.
In the wake of Warne’s sudden death in a Thailand villa at the age of 52, believed to be the result of a heart attack, Vaughan reflected on his remarkable life in a stirring chat on Fox Cricket.
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Almost six minutes passed by as Vaughan remembered Warne for being “the greatest”, “an enemy on the pitch”, “a great mate” off the field and his “rocking and rolling” shot at life.
For all but several seconds, Vaughan was able to keep his emotions in check.
Then he unravelled.
“Here in the UK he’s got so many really close friends,” Vaughan said.
“I spoke to a lot of them yesterday. They’re gutted,” he added as he began to choke up.
“Sorry.
“He’s going to be hugely missed over here.”
Vaughan was overcome by tears and the chat was cut.
Warne had some of the most memorable moments of his career on English soil.
There was the ‘Ball of the Century’, also known as the ‘The Gatting Ball’ or simply ‘That Ball’, which pitched a mile outside Mike Gatting’s leg stump but ripped back and cannoned into his off peg. The iconic 1993 delivery at Old Trafford was Warne’s first in Ashes cricket, and he was still haunting England during his farewell Test in 2007.
Another of Warne’s breathtaking deeds in England’s backyard spanned the course of a series, when the greatest cricketer in a team brimming with greats captured 40 wickets at a tick under 20. The masterful wrist-spinner recorded three five-fors and twice took 10 wickets in a match, as the Australian closest to his wicket tally of 40, Brett Lee, only managed half as many.
The reality is just as Warne crammed more wickets into the 2005 Ashes than all others involved in the famed series, he packed more life into the years he lived than perhaps any other cricketer to have ever stepped foot on the planet.
“I’m distraught,” Vaughan said early in his Fox Cricket cross.
“I hope we can all get together one day and have a glass of red or two.”
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