"He revived leg-spin, thought to be extinct, and is now pre-eminent in a game so transformed that we sometimes wonder where the next champion fast bowlers will come from."

- CricketArchive Staff Reporter, from Cricketarchive's player profile of Shane Warne, 17.4.09

Well, not quite. If you want proof that the Wrist-Spin Era of Australian Cricket has returned to hibernation, look no further than the Cricket Australia contracted players' list for 2009-10.

Shane Warne's four-over-per-game bowling-captain-coaching stint is over for another (and probably last) year, and Stuart MacGill is doing nicely thank you with his own wine show on the Lifestyle Food channel. The number of specialist wrist-spinners under Cricket Australia contract from July 1? Zero.

Of the twenty-five players on the list there's only left-armer Simon Katich and right-handed Cameron White. Outstanding as an opening batsman for Australia these days but dreadfully underbowled, Katich has taken 18 wickets in 38 Tests at an average of 29.61. Six of those wickets came in one innings against Zimbabwe in 2003, and five more in the last two innings of the latest Test series against South Africa.

Beau Casson has come off contract after being basically hung out to dry by the National Socialist Party National Selection Panel. Brought into the Test team after MacGill's abrupt retirement on the 2008 West Indian tour, he took three wickets at 43 at Bridgetown in his debut, and has never been selected for Australia again.

White's Test career was confined to the 2008 series in India, where he was a late replacement for Bryce McGain, whom I shall get to in a tic. White took five wickets at 68.40, and averaged 29.40 with the bat. Better known these days for his achievements in slap-and-tickle cricket, White hasn't even been named in Australia's World T20 squad.

But the great hope of Australian wrist-spin, McGain, has come and gone at the age of 37 with career figures of 18-3-149-0 preserved for posterity.

Shane Warne, his heirs and successors, are gone. The next champion fast bowler has arrived. His name is Mitchell Johnson.

But there's another reason why the Shane Warne Era appears to be over. "Shane Warne The Musical", which began its Sydney season at the Enmore Theatre last Monday, will close on June 7. It has already had a successful five-month run in Melbourne, but now seems unlikely to go on tour.

Reviews of SWTM from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Daily Telegraph, and even Kersi Meher-Homji has pitched in with his observations.

He is the shock selection in England's First Test squad to face the West Indies next week. Durham quickie Graham Onions has been named in the twelve, and is almost certain to make his England debut after a false start on the 2006 ODI tour of Pakistan.

Today's Newcastle Herald (New South Wales, not Northumberland) is right on the ball in giving credit where it's due for Onions' success. The headline on the sports pages reads:

Stockton's Onions earns Test call-up

The Herald's Robert Dillon goes on to explain all:

"The uncapped Englishman spent the early part of this year in Newcastle, taking 11 wickets in two matches for Stockton at an average of 10.73."

The Durham county professional (whose first-class career bowling average currently stands at 32.88) did indeed play two matches for Stockton in the NDCA (Newcastle District Cricket Association) first grade comp in 2008-09, as The Herald extensively reported.

Let's hope Onions' fortunes are slightly better than those of Stockton's previous English import, Chris Lewis.

A good wicket for the Mork and Mindians, as Matty Hayden swats Jayasuriya to Zaheer Khan who takes a good low catch. Hayden 44(35b, 6x4 1xDLFMx).

At what point can we proclaim a Twenty20 game a GOTLD? As I speak CSK need 75 to win from 42 balls at a RRR of 10.7.

This is my last post of the evening, maybe I'll see this game out and maybe even see some of Warnie's Rajasthanis. Or maybe not. Adieu for nieu.