Saturday, 23rd December 2006 at 8:46 pm

The fat man has sung

Amongst the blur of the build-up to this Ashes series (a quite monumental anticlimax, thanks to English cricket reverting to type), there was much debate over the longevity of Australia’s team, and in particular, just how much longer Shane Warne would be turning them square. A few years yet, suggested Richie Benaud, and the first few Tests suggested Warne was some way yet from departure…

But Warne has never followed an orthodox route to the headlines, and with the Ashes sealed (and how), Warne has called time on the most extraordinary career the game of cricket has ever seen. He’s set up a two-Test swansong, and fewer sporting farewells will be scrutinised so closely - which, given the Shane Warne story to date, is entirely appropriate. Much as we’ve loathed him in this part of the world (particularly if your name is Darryl), so we’ve been fascinated by a deeply flawed sporting genius. Even South Africans will be forced to admit that come day five in Sydney (or quite possibly day three, given the English at the moment), cricket’s flag will sit very much at half-mast.