Hall of fame: Shane Warne – The Spinner of the Century

Shane Keith Warne was a former Australian cricketer, widely look upon as the greatest leg spinner in the history of cricket. His ball which bamboozled Mike Gatting in 1993, is seen as the greatest bowling delivery ever. His name was also there in Australia’s “greatest ever ODI team”.

Early Life

Warne was born on 13th September 1969 in the Upper Ferntree Gully, a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Immensely talented from a very young age, he earned a sports scholarship to study at Mentone Grammar School. He first represented the University of Melbourne Club in the Victoria Cricket Association Under-16 Dowling Shield competition. Warne also played Australian football for the Under-19 team of St. Kilda’s Football Club, before he became a professional cricketer.

Cricket Debut

He made his international debut on 2nd January 1990 at Sydney, in a test match against India. His debut was not remarkable as he took only one wicket while conceding 150 runs. Similar dull performances resulted in him being dropped out of the team. He was recalled after the Australians failed to take wickets on a turning surface. This time Warne made best use of the opportunity as he put in a match winning performance of 7/52.

Rise to Glory

Warne first made an impression while playing for the Australia B squad. He took his first-class five wicket haul as he took 7/49 against Zimbabwe. Similar impressive performances for the Australia A team led to his international debut. On 2nd January 1994, Warne took 12 wickets in the second Test match against South Africa, asserting himself as a vital component of the Australian bowling, despite losing the match by 5 runs.

He proved himself to be just as impressive in the ODI format, he took 12 wickets in the 1996 Wills World Cup, with a match-winning performance of 4-36 in the semi-final against West Indies. One of his best performances was in 1994 against England at Brisbane taking 8/71 as the English had to chase 508 runs but fell short by 184 runs, because of Warne’s exploits.

Controversies

Warne has been a controversial figure his entire career, with his accounts of promiscuity arising more often than his bowling skills. A day before the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, Warne failed a drug test, for a banned diuretic, after which he was sent home. He faced a one-year ban from organized cricket. In 1998 Warne faced controversy when it was revealed that he and fellow Australian cricketer Mark Waugh had taken bribes from an Indian bookmaker four years earlier.

Club Career

Warne has played domestic cricket for Victoria, Hampshire, Rajasthan Royals and the Melbourne Stars. In 2008, Warne signed with the Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of the IPL. He was appointed as their captain and he led them to the title.

Personal Life

Warne had complete heterochromia, as a result of which one of his eyes was blue, and the other green. Warne had three children with his former wife Simone Callahan. The couple was married from 1995 to 2005. Following his split from Simone Callahan, Warne dated  actress Elizabeth Hurley.

Retirement

Warne retired from international cricket in 2007, but continued to play club and county cricket. He retired from first class cricket in 2008, after which Warne became a sports commentator for Nine cricket commentary team before signing for Sky Sports in 2009.

Death

Warne died in a villa in Koh Samui, Thailand, on 4 March 2022, at the age of 52, from a suspected heart attack. His death came on the same day as fellow Australian cricketer Rod Marsh, to whom Warne paid tribute in a tweet a few hours prior to his own death.

Vishakha

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