Shane Warne’s whinge about Steve Waugh just doesn’t add up

SHANE Warne hopped on the bully pulpit of the Channel Nine commentary team to have a whinge yesterday — but the statistics prove a lie to his claims.

SHANE Warne hopped on the bully pulpit of the Channel 9 commentary team to have a whinge yesterday — but the statistics prove a lie to his claims.

Warne claimed to be was baffled when Australian captain Steve Smith didn’t bowl off-spinner Nathan Lyon as the dramatic Boxing Day Test entered its final session.

“I don’t understand why Nathan Lyon isn’t on,” said Warne, during a lengthy rebuke of Smith. “I’m sure everyone sitting back at home can’t understand why either ...”

Warne suggested Smith is simply not a fan of spin bowling, saying “it’s almost as though he doesn’t want Nathan Lyon to take wickets”.

“Steve Smith is more of a fast bowler’s captain as well, a bit like Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. They were more into the fast bowlers than anything else as well. Especially Steve Waugh. He wanted to bowl first all the time as well. Fast bowlers, fast bowlers, fast bowlers. Spinners were an afterthought.”

It’s fair to say Steve Waugh (left) and Shane Warne don’t see things eye-to-eye these days.

Warne’s longrunning feud with Waugh stems from Waugh’s decision to drop the leg spinner from the Test side in the West Indies in 1999, and the Sheik of Pique rarely misses an opportunity to stick the boot into his old skipper.

However, Warne’s claim that Waugh favoured fast bowling over spinners just doesn’t survive a look at the statistics.

For comparison sake let’s put Warne’s numbers up against fast-bowling great Glenn McGrath. Both were matchwinning bowlers, both played in the same teams under the same captains.

Did captains favour fast bowling great Glenn McGrath over leg-spinning legend Shane Warne?

WARNE

Under Mark Taylor as captain: 79 innings, 2006 overs or 25.3 overs per innings

Under Steve Waugh as captain: 72 innings, 1607 overs for 22.3 overs per innings

Under Ricky Ponting as captain: 67 innings, 1639 overs for 24.5 overs per innings

MCGRATH

Under Mark Taylor as captain: 78 innings, 1580 overs for 20 overs per innings

Under Steve Waugh as captain: 94 innings, 1844 overs for 19.6 overs per innings

Under Ricky Ponting as captain: 50 inns, 1001 overs for 20 overs per innings

The ratio of overs bowled per innings under the three captains remain remarkably consistent, which leaves one to draw the following conclusions:

1. Maybe Mark Taylor, a fellow Nine commentator, considered spinners an afterthought too but Warnie wasn’t keen to take a swipe at someone who could actually defend themselves on air.

2. Maybe Warne didn’t really think before he spoke.

3. Maybe Warne just tried to shoehorn his longrunning gripe with Waugh into the commentary because he’s a tad precious.

4. All of the above.

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