Rex Clementine in Galle

They say, “the good die young.” Shane Warne, though, was no saint. His life was a rollercoaster of triumphs and tribulations, a Shakespearean tragedy with a touch of reckless abandon. He signed a lucrative deal to quit smoking, only to be caught puffing away in New Zealand. He was fined for leaking information to a bookie. There were scandalous text messages, a doping ban, and more controversies that would have sunk lesser men. But Warne was no ordinary man.

For all his flaws, he was a genuine bloke. As Aravinda de Silva told this publication recently, what he admired most in Warne was his genuineness. He never wore a mask, never played to the gallery. He was who he was – raw, unfiltered and unapologetically himself. That, for a global icon, was a dangerous thing to be.

Warne’s greatness as a bowler is well documented. Some of his most defining moments were etched in Sri Lanka. His first overseas tour in 1992 saw him rise from obscurity, bowling Australia to a miraculous 16-run win in Colombo. Sri Lanka had posted a mammoth 547 for eight declared in the first innings – victory seemed inevitable. But Warne, with the guile of a master illusionist, turned the game on its head. When the dust settled, Allan Border called it “the biggest heist since the Great Train Robbery.”

Galle, too, holds a special chapter in Warne’s story. It was here, amid the ruins of a drug ban, that he staged a triumphant comeback, claiming his 500th Test wicket. Australia, against the odds, won 3-0, and Warne was the architect of the turnaround, spinning webs around Sri Lanka when it mattered most.

But it wasn’t just his cricket that endeared him to Sri Lanka. Warne’s heart was as big as his talent. When the 2004 tsunami devastated the island, he was among the first international figures to visit, witnessing the horror firsthand. Just days later, a charity match in Melbourne raised a fortune, much of which found its way to rebuilding shattered lives in Sri Lanka.

Together with his great mate, Muttiah Muralitharan, Warne lent his name and energy to the Foundation of Goodness, a charity founded by former cricketer Kushil Gunasekara. Warne’s mere presence turned the global spotlight on the initiative, paving the way for institutions like MCC and Laureus to join in. Today, the Foundation’s Center of Excellence at Seenigama is a breeding ground for young talent, producing cricketers, including many in Sri Lanka’s women’s Under-19 team. Without Warne’s influence, that vision may never have come to life.

Warne was larger than life, a man who embraced excess, who lived every moment as if it were his last. No wonder they called him ‘Hollywood’. His passing at 52 was a massive blow to the game.

As the Bard himself wrote, “When he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night.”

Warne’s star will never fade.