There are more conventional second draft picks, but I'm persuaded that this is the right one. Without further ado...
Pick: Shane Warne
Explanation: You just can't have a great Test team if you don't have a great spin bowler. On some pitches, against many batsmen and on the last days of matches it is the spin bowler who dominates. If your opponent has a great spinner and you don't, you'll find yourself conceding a lot of matches to them before a ball is bowled. Add to that the rarity value of truly great spinners and the fact they can bowl more top quality overs at a faster rate than a pace bowler (which means you get more bang for your buck) and they're an absolute priority draft pick.
Amongst the few true kings of spin, Warne stands out. The great spinners of the past were assisted by uncovered pitches, weren't subject to video analysis and didn't have to face the armoured modern batsman with his heavy bats and tiny grounds. Since this era began, only two spinners have cast their long shadows over the game, winning match after match in every country around the world. When they are gone, it is not clear that there will ever be anyone worthy to take their place.
Of those two, not much separates their bowling statistically. They have similar strike rates, similar economy rates and similar performances while away. But Warne has an X-factor that the other can never match. He was the master of psychological warfare, inspiring fear in more teams and for a longer time. He possessed a first-class cricketing brain, famously leading the hopeless Rajasthan Royals to IPL glory. But more than all of that, he single-handedly resurrected spin in the modern era.
Warne is a true great who will be talked about in reverent terms long after we all are dead and gone.
As for his selection as captain, he's the greatest Test captain that Australia never had. We missed a trick there - captaincy brings the best out in him, both as a player and as a person. His appointment as captain would have prolonged his career and cut down on his off-field shenanigans. Captaincy is also his forte as much as his bowling ever was. He is cunning, unorthodox, unpredictable and inspiring. He lifts players to deliver more than their best, keeps his opponents guessing and second-guessing and forces matches to be played on his terms.
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