Legendary Aussie leggie Shane Warne was appointed in the world cricket committee of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on Thursday. Warne replaced his country mate and former Australian wicket-keeper Rodney March. Marsh served as a member for a six-year tenure.
MCC, which is based at the iconic Lord’s, has been the sole authority on game’s laws since 1787. The committee consists of former and current players. They meet twice a year to have detailed conversation on the issues related to the game on-field.
Warne naturally was a happy man after being appointed in the panel which is quite prestigious. “It is an honour to have been asked to be a member of the MCC World Cricket committee,” the 49-year-old former cricketer said. “It is an extremely exciting time for cricket and I hope that I will have plenty to offer in discussion and debate,” Warne added.
The committee was founded in 2006. Since then the panel has made wholesale changes in the game which included the approval for day-night Test matches and advocated for adopting the Decision Review System (DRS).
The MCC cricket committee chairman and former England skipper Mike Gatting also welcomed the leg-spinners and hoped that his inputs will help the committee take more concrete steps regarding the game. “We’re delighted to welcome Shane on to the committee. I am sure he will offer great insights into many different facets of the game,” Gatting said.
Warne’s cricket career was an illustrious one in which he had 708 scalps in 145 Tests he turned out for Australia. Retired in 2013, Warne was inducted as the honorary life member of the MCC nine years ago.
Warne also was a successful captain in the shortest format (T20) of the game. Warne led the Rajasthan Royals to title in the inaugural Indian Premier League back in 2008.
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