I cant get the song "Love Hurts" ( Jim Capaldi ) out of my head at the moment.
And the lyrics " takes a lot of pain, takes a lot of pain"

I dont only identify with Shane, cause he's Australian; but he is a Victorian and also born in the Melbourne suburbs.
And he is a proud Victorian.
As a Victorian we might not have the "volume" of selection in the Australian team, but we dominate the "cream".Bill Lawry, Merv Hughes, Dean Jones, Paul Reifell, Damien Fleming, Colin Miller, Rodney Hogg, Ian Redpath, Keith Stackpole, Paul Sheehan, Jim Higgs, Keith Miller, Ian Harvey and not to forget mentioning our double centurian casualty Brad Hodge.
I suppose if their is a simularity I can draw to England; you may as well call us the Irish.
But throughout all this injustice we have a hero who stands as a giant amongst the giants. A homegrown Melbourne suburban lad who now stands along side Don Bradman, "Shane Keith Warne".
The fact that Shane is not perfect and has made his share of mistakes / controversy's makes me love him all the more.
Who could forget some of the classics.
Shane and Merv Hughes putting together a decent batting partnership and sharing spit & earwax.
Shane and Junior (Mark) Waugh dabbling in weather forecasting, and various other extreme sports/hobbies.
Shane shipping a pallet of "Baked Beans" to India when he decided he would'nt trust the local tucker.
Shane questioning international resteraunt wine lists that did not include VB's or Crownies.
Shane deciding 3 balls previously that he would have a leg side slog when he was on 99.
Shane asking "Mum" for a pill to make him look more handsome before a TV interveiw.
Shanes mate Hooksy (David Hookes RIP) defending him against (Hooksy said) "some hairy back somethingarother"
Shanes body writing and SMS artwork (Andy Warhole would have been proud)

but not to be outdone

Shanes bloody good bowling and extreme passion to win over 16 years.
I hope Bill Lawry call's his 700th wicket at the MCG.
To me it's the end of an era in Australian cricket, which started way back before Shane when Allan Border started rebuilding the Australian team from the Ashes of the Lillee/Chappell era.
Not to say the next era will be as bleak as the start of the last one ( we are in a lot better shape this time ).
But still it reminds me of the Kubrick movie "2001" because I think this marks another bookend/monolith in Australian cricket.
He's not just a hero, he is flawed hero. Like most of us he is not perfect and nor are we.
To me that makes him more identifiable to us the masses, and more loved.
To some of us where he is from our hometown myself and I hope Pauli ( you feel the same about him ) he is extra special.
Go Shane enjoy your retirement.
Thanks for a great ride

With tears

acker..

Nice.

Victorians do get a harsh deal when selection time comes around.

(Brad Hodge 58 vs Andrew Symonds 19 )

Warne was a great Australian,but more importantly he was a great Victorian.

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" You don't want the truth,you can't handle the truth."

What does Ponting see in Symonds? God knows. As for what Hodge has ever done wrong... that beats me as well!

victorian? i knew he was getting on..........but strewth!

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viva monty!

He has come a long way from being a Ferntree Gully kid to what he is now. Great bowler, great cricketer and terrible bloke. (",)...... sorry misunderstood bloke.

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Bill Ponsford - The only one who could play in Bradman’s company and make it a duet.

True, one of the greats of the game just wish he was English .

I think it will be a hell of a long time till we see a spinner as good as Warne.

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Mark.

One interesting thing from Warne's column in the Times: "Had we not won the Ashes this time round, I can safely say I would not be retiring. I would have played on until 2009 and gone to England that year to try to get the urn back."

See http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...515125,00.html

You don't count Murali then?

Sorry? Can you explain what you mean exactly