Shane (2022) Documentary Review: — Bowled It Warnie

It’s extremely tragic that Shane Warne, the legendary Australian leg-spinner in cricket, should pass suddenly at the young age of 52 so soon after the publication of this film. But like James Hunt, a champion race car driver, and Seve Ballesteros, a golfing legend, Warne would never reach old age, as it appears to be the fate of a select few hell-raising, flashy, big-personality sports stars. I clearly recall how shocked I was to learn of his passing, which was made all the more heartbreaking given that Warne had only just that day sent his own condolences to the family of another legendary Australian cricketer, wicket-keeper Rodney Marsh before he too died away.

This documentary attempts to condense the great man’s tumultuous personal and professional life into a 90+ minute documentary, so of course it can only give a flavor of him, but it seems clear that even though he was a flawed individual, being occasionally self-confessedly guilty of naivety, selfishness, and pig-headedness, he nevertheless comes across as a good bloke, as well as being a helluva cricketer, who connected equally.

The backstory of his early development is revealed through the active participation of his family, including contributions from his ex-wife, three children, parents, and younger brother. We learn that his first chosen sport was actually Aussie Rules Football, but when this career stalled, he turned to cricket. This was encouraged by his once-disgraced fellow countryman Test bowler Terry Jenner.

His Test career got off to a sluggish start on two Asian tours before taking off in Sri Lanka with the “Ball of the Century,” which he delivered in his debut Ashes Test in England and which dramatically dispatched Mike Gatting. Then, even as he began to claim the first of his more than 700 victims, there were the almost inevitable run-ins with the powers that be in cricket that he had later in his career. These included first accusations of match-fixing in Pakistan, for which he was cleared, then the pitch-report scandal involving him and Mark Waugh in India, which he overcame, and finally accusations of taking an illegal substance, for which he was found guilty and banned from playing for a year.

Although he mentions his broken marriage, he seems to have maintained cordial relations with his ex-wife and three grown children. Although I might have expected to hear from people like Liz Hurley, Glenn McGrath, and Brian Lara to name a few who also played significant roles in his personal and sporting lives, they don’t mention him at all. Instead, family, friends, and fellow cricketers (the latter of whom include Alan Border, Sachin Tendulkar, and Ian Botham but naturally not Steve Waugh!) all speak highly of him as a great player, competitor, and great company.

I may have liked this movie to go on longer and to show a bit more of his cricketing achievements, but I still learned enough from it to form my own opinion on the real guy behind the legend.

R. I. P. Shane, a unique cricketer, and genuinely pleasant person passed away suddenly just when he appeared to be content with himself.