Arguably one of the greatest spinners ever to play the game, Shane Keith Warne was born on this day in 1969 in Victoria, Australia. Regarded as one of the most controversial figures in sport, he was also the most feared bowler among batsmen of his era.
In 145 Test matches in a brilliant 15-year career, Warne scooped up 708 wickets. The figure is second only to Sri Lankan tweaker Muttiah Muralitharan’s 800-wicket haul.
Warnie’s unique ability to turn the ball on non-spinning tracks kept him ahead of the pack by a long distance. From Sachin Tendulkar to Brain Lara, the flamboyant leg-spinner dominated the best in the business for a fairly long period.
Not just bowling, Shane has a few records to flaunt with the bat too: intriguingly, he is the only player to have crossed 3,000 runs in Test cricket without scoring a single century. His highest score is 99, achieved against New Zealand in Perth.
On his 47th birthday, The Quint brings you five of the best moments from his illustrious career.
1. Warne’s ‘Ball of the Century’ to Mike Gatting In 1993
Warne’s stunning delivery to dismiss England’s Mike Gatting in the first match of the 1993 Ashes series has been dubbed ‘the ball of the century’. Pitching on the leg stump and then nipping the bail of the off stump, this ball thrust Warnie firmly into the limelight. Australia won the match, played at Old Trafford, convincingly by 179 runs.
2. 8-71 Against England at Brisbane in 1994
The Wizard of Oz’s best bowling figures in the longest format of the game came early in his career. The first Test match between Australia and England at Brisbane in the 1994-95 series saw him grabbing 8 wickets in a single innings. The feat earned him the Man of the Match award, and also catapulted Australia to a 184-run win.
3. Hat-Trick Against England at Melbourne in 1994
Warne’s only Test hat-trick came against his side’s old rivals England during the Boxing DayTest at Melbourne in the 1994-95 series. Having picked up 6 wickets in the first innings, Warne dismissed Phillip DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm in three successive balls in the second innings. The achievement made him the ninth Australian bowler to take a Test match hat-trick. His team won the match by 295 runs.
4. Warne’s Other ‘Ball of the Century’ to Strauss in 2005
It was the second Test match of the 2005 Ashes series at Edgbaston when Warne wowed the world with yet another ‘ball of the century’. At the receiving end was England opener Andrew Strauss. The delivery reminded many of the stunner that had dismissed Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993. But notwithstanding the gem of a delivery, England went on to win the nail-biter by two runs.
5. 700th Test Wicket at Melbourne in 2007
Possibly the last milestone that remained in Warnie’s eminent career was reaching the 700-wicket mark. He achieved that feat by dismissing England opener Andrew Strauss in the fourth Test at Melbourne in 2007. The Sultan of Spin then went on to notch up 8 more wickets to end with a tally of 708 career Test wickets. Australia won its iconic bowler’s final Test outing by an innings and 99 runs.
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