Rex Clementine in Galle

Their on field battles were spicy while their off field outbursts targeting each other were legendary. Both Arjuna Ranatunga and Shane Warne minced no words when it came to the other’s game or conduct. Yet, there was mutual respect between the two that was rarely noticed. When Warne wrote a book discussing the 50 greatest players he had played with or against, he had chosen Arjuna high in the pecking order. The World Cup winning Sri Lankan captain also revealed that Warne had wished him when he had become a Minister in 2015. In the public eye, they were sworn enemies. But off the field, their discussions ranged from field placings, fried chicken to kids.

Ranatunga showed up at the Galle International Stadium on Wednesday as Sri Lanka Cricket paid tribute to the leg-spinner who passed away in Thailand in March. The press were quick to catch up with him.

“Everybody knows about the run ins we had on the field but off the field we moved on well. Sri Lankans weren’t big fans of Warne, but soon after the tsunami when he came over to help, people started appreciating him as he touched their hearts,” Ranatunga told reporters.

“His death was devastating and our fans were sad. It’s a huge loss for the game as he was a brilliant student and ahead of his time. As some say, he was the best captain that Australia never had, elaborated Ranatunga.

“During our time, leg-spin was sort of a dying art. Except for Anil Kumble, Mushtaq Ahmed and Warney there weren’t many leg-spinners around. You have spinners with smooth actions and it’s good to watch. But a spinner has to turn the ball. That’s the main thing. Warney was able to do that and that was an indication that this was someone who is going to be special.”

Even to this day, for those who are engaged with the game, Arjuna emphasizes on dressing up smart as they are ambassadors of the game. One of the players he had captained is a prominent official these days and in Galle he had got an earful from the ex-captain for failing to iron his shirt. However, in Australia, a country where he has few friends, Arjuna is seen as someone who played the game ugly and even bent the rules for the advantage of his team.

“That’s something that we learned from Australia. When you go to Australia they are very tough, play the game hard and always want to win. We borrowed it from them and then used it on them. In order to compete with Australia, you have got to match their aggression and you may not be the most popular guy,” remarked Arjuna.

The legend of Warne was born at the SSC in 1992 when Sri Lanka snatched victory from the jaws of defeat losing the game by 16 runs having dominated the match for the most part. Warne cleaned up the tail picking up three wickets for no runs.

“Warne was picked at the right time. He was lucky that he had a clever captain in Allan Border. In that SSC Test, we knew that if he had bowled well in the second innings we would struggle. Still disappointed to lose that Test by the narrowest of margins as that would have been our first Test win against Australia. But that’s how the game goes. We knew from the start that Warne was special.”

“Our plan with Warney was to attack him. We knew that if we played defensively, it was just a matter of time before he got us out. Overall I would like to think that our strategy against him worked but we had bad days as well. He was too good a bowler not to come up with something to counter us. During the initial stages, I thought he wasn’t very comfortable when we attacked him. But then he developed and towards the tail end of my career he was a different bowler.”

The series between Australia and Sri Lanka has been named ‘Warne – Murali Trophy’. Which of the two spinners is the greatest?

“They were great bowlers who played for teams with different outlooks. For example, Warney played in a side that had guys like McGrath, Lee and Gillespie. Those guys had taken about three or four wickets by the time he had come and bowl. In the case of Murali, apart from Vaasy who takes a wicket or two, he had a tough ask. He had to come to bowl earlier on. Sometimes he had to take from wicket number one to last man. That’s not easy. One had a lot of time and opportunities to take wickets. The other had to share his wickets with other bowlers. Australia is a team that had so many great players. In Sri Lanka, Murali was a loner. Their rivalry was great to watch. Murali is a competitive guy and he wanted to take at least one wicket more than Warney. I thought that Murali gave his best when he played the Aussies.”

“I liked listening to Warne in commentaries. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind out. He was outspoken and forthright, which is rare among cricket commentators these days. His cricket brain was ahead of his time.”