Mason Crane living the dream alongside Shane Warne at London Spirit

CAMERON PONSONBY: Turned onto cricket by the 2005 Ashes during which the Australia legspinner starred, Crane is hugely appreciative of having the opportunity to tap into Warne's wealth of knowledge

There’s an old video of Glenn Hoddle training with the Swindon Town team he was player-manager of from 1991-1993. Swindon were a Division One side, whilst Hoddle was still, if not a world-class player, pretty close to it. 

Running a shooting drill with midfielder John Moncur, Hoddle buries every chance during the demonstration he gives. Moncur, meanwhile, sees shot after shot saved or go wide.

As a video, it shines a light on the chasm that can exist between having ability, and having the ability to communicate.

“Just whip your foot round it,” Hoddle motions before Moncur punts the ball wide and over the bar. Hoddle then runs up and scores another. Easy game for some.

It’s a hole that some great players can find themselves in when transitioning to coaching. 

Shane Warne is coach of the London Spirit. He is also the face of leg-spin and for many the greatest Test bowler of all time. Under his tutelage, this year is English leggie, Mason Crane. 

Swindon player-manager Glenn Hoddle motivating John Moncur in training by being four thousand times better than him, c.1993 pic.twitter.com/YX2QmryEDk

— Adam Hurrey (@FootballCliches) December 15, 2016

“He does think about the game from a different angle that I haven’t really thought of before”, says Crane.

“But to be fair to Warnie he’s brilliant with stuff like that. His mindset is remarkable and he does talk about the game the way he would be thinking if he were bowling.

“But he gives you the confidence that you would feel like that as well.”

For Crane, being coached by Warne represents the culmination of a professional privilege and a childhood dream. Born in 1997, Crane is one of a generation of cricketers brought up on the 2005 Ashes. 

“2005 was how I got into cricket,” he says.

“I’m not really from a cricketing family at all. It was just football growing up, Dad was a big football fan - so it was Arsenal or you don’t live here.

“But that summer really got me into cricket. I enjoyed watching it and then that winter mum joined me up to one of those where you can go along and just have a go and I really enjoyed it. 

“I always bowled leg-spin. I didn’t necessarily choose to it's just what happened. So obviously when you realise that it’s like right, who’s your man then and it was Shane Warne just as being the best ever.

“I got the boxset of the 2005 Ashes for Christmas and just watched it over and over and over again. From there I guess it’s just how it all started for me. Seeing Shane Warne on the telly was just what made me go ‘yeah I really want to do that’.

“Watching him do his thing was really how I learnt the game.”

Cut from 2005 to 2021 and Crane is now honing his craft alongside the man who inspired his cricketing journey.

On one of the many training days over the course of the competition, a photo of the two discussing the finer points of leg-spin was taken and Crane requested a copy from the media team to serve as a memento.

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A post shared by Mason Crane (@masoncrane32)

“I put it on my Instagram. It is a dream come true really to work with Warnie,” he said.

“I’ve been pretty lucky in my career to work with some great bowlers. Stuart MacGill, Shane Warne, Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq as well. They’re amazing bowlers and I realise I’m very privileged to work with them.

“Moments like that are great mementoes - I’m not going to forget them - but what I’m getting out of them is way more than you could ever hope as well. And when you do retire and you look back on your career they’ll be your favourite memories to look back on.”

During a 20-minute chat, Crane has been nothing but positive about the experience of playing in The Hundred, the chance to work with Warne and the atmosphere that has been fostered by the skipper, Eoin Morgan.

He’s even bashful when asked about the disappointment of having been left out of the side for the first match of the competition. 

“Of course it’s disappointing, but...I bowl leg-spin in England,” he said. “I get left out of a lot of teams so I’m used to it now”.

^{Crane was inspired by the 2005 Ashes}

Surely though, I say to him, surely, it can’t all be sunshine and rainbows with Shane. There must be something you don’t like about him?

“To be honest, no.” comes the reply. Accompanied also by the smile of someone who has learnt when to leave a question alone.

“He’s been everything you could have hoped for and more. He’s very emotional around the game. He’s living and breathing every ball and that’s what you want from a coach.

“You want them to care as much as you do because you’re giving your all out there on the field and in the environment, they’ve created it’s very hard not to get on. So no, no complaints from me.”

And having had the chance to spend three weeks learning from the best of all time. Why would there be?

The ECB’s Hundred Rising is providing eight aspiring, young journalists the opportunity to tell the story of The Hundred men’s and women’s competitions through their own eyes.