‘Very special to me’: Recalled leg-spinner’s tearful tribute to Warne

Australia’s recently recalled leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington has paid a tearful tribute to Shane Warne during the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.

“Obviously waking up to news that Warnie passed away was quite devastating,” Wellington said, describing the leg-spinning great as the inspiration for her career.

She was recalled to the national team following a three-year absence to partner fellow leg-spinner Alana King for Australia’s strong win over Pakistan on Tuesday.

“I did make a YouTube video on Warnie. He was very special to me. To wake up and see that news was quite devastating,” Wellington said after claiming 1-25 from eight overs.

Wellington, 24, never met Warne but was overjoyed when he attended a warm-up match at Lord’s when she was playing in England’s new domestic Twenty20 competition The Hundred last year.

“To have Warnie witness me bowling was quite special and every time I think of him now I tear up because it’s quite emotional. I look up to him so much. Unbelievable news.

“I didn’t get to work with him, I wish I did, but it was just watching his highlights, watching him bowl.

“Every spinner looks up to him and he’s someone you want to be. He made a real contribution to every spinner’s game and especially my game as well.”

Three days before the Pakistan match, when Australia were about to play England in their opening World Cup match with Wellington as a reserve, she struggled through a tearful YouTube tribute.

“I knew this video was going to be hard to make,” she said. “I told myself it would be OK to cry.”

“All spinners wanted to be like him, the way he took on the game.”

Amanda-Jade Wellington

Wellington recalled the first time she was compared to Warne during the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League season.

“I think it was against the Perth Scorchers and I got three-for and Adam Gilchrist compared me to Shane Warne,” she said.

“All spinners wanted to be like him, the way he took on the game, the way he played the game, the way he brought such energy and brought so much character to the game.”

The classic comparison came during Wellington’s Test debut against England at North Sydney Oval in 2017. She delivered her equivalent of Warne’s “Ball of the Century”, bowling Tammy Beaumont with the same type of big-turning leg-break Warne used to befuddle Mike Gatting.

“To get compared with his ball of the century and get voted number one Ashes memory as well, it’s bizarre,” she said.

“I remember growing up watching his highlight clips on YouTube and the TV ... I still watch his highlights on YouTube.”

Wellington’s brilliant start to her career faded as fellow leg-spinners Georgia Wareham and now King moved past her as all-round cricketers.

Her call-up to the World Cup squad only came because Wareham and left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux were injured. Not surprisingly, Wellington is delighted to be back in the mix.

“To play two leg-spinners in a game is quite special,” she said after the Pakistan match. “And for me and Kingy to be so different, it works out really well from both ends bowling in great partnerships.

“It’s so attacking. Hopefully it comes again but we’ll wait and see.”