We celebrate the 100th episode of the 81allout podcast with an illuminating conversation with Gideon Haigh – the gold standard when it comes to cricket writing.
We could have spoken to Gideon about anything – cricket or otherwise – but we chose to focus on his brilliant book On Warne – a remarkably original take on one of the most original of cricketers. Gideon talks about Warne’s ability to “make the unscripted look scripted” and why he was such a joy to write about.
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Spotify
(PSA: We will be donating all your contributions till the end of June towards Covid relief in India. We plan to match your contributions upto $800)
- Writing a book in 31 days
- The thrill of writing about Warne’s mastery
- Warne coming along at the ‘perfect time’
- Would a cricketer like Warne have succeeded in the 1970s?
- The SSC Test in 1993 – when Warne found himself in international cricket
- The ball of the century – and the perfection of timing
- The archetypical cricketer in the televised age
- The theatre of Warne – and the art of manipulating everyone around him
- The hard yards that often get overlooked by the magical highlights
- Warne and the media – a never-ending saga
- How Warne was so open about his skill – and yet fooled batsman after batsman
- The post-retirement phase in Warne’s life
- How the Warne legend is likely to endure
Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)
Related:
The man who became legspin – Gideon Haigh – ESPNcricinfo
The ball of the century – cricket.com.au
‘We dominated for over four days but lost in half a session’ – ESPNcricinfo on the 1993 Sri Lanka v Australia Test in Colombo
Hits and myths of Shane Warne, a suburban hero – Gideon Haigh – The Australian
Legspin masterclass with Shane Warne – Cricket Masterclass video
281-degree panorama – Shane Warne on VVS Laxman’s 281 in Kolkata in 2001 – The Cricket Monthly
Books discussed:
No Spin: My Autobiography – Shane Warne
Mystery Spinner: The story of Jack Iverson – Gideon Haigh
The Big Ship: Warwick Armstrong and the Making of Modern Cricket – Gideon Haigh
Stroke of Genius: Victor Trumper and the Shot that Changed Cricket – Gideon Haigh
Crossing the Line – Gideon Haigh
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Lead image from here.