Shane Warne – Legend of Cricket
He infused a new life into cricket by reinventing the art of spin bowling. Again and again, he did extraordinary things for his country in the difficult circumstances. The best leg-spinner ever in the history – Shane Warne is a true legend of the game.
In the first Test of the 1993 Ashes series, Warne bowled his first ball in the Ashes series, pitching it outside the line of the leg-stump. However, the ball turned viciously and flicked Mike Gatting’s off-stump. Warne’s first ball in the Ashes became most
talked about single delivery in the history of the sport.
It remained a privilege for the cricket fans to watch him bowl, as he did something special in every game he played during his career
Without any doubt, Warne transformed the game in the last decade of the 20th century. He not only changed the course of the play on countless occasions for his side but also altered the face of the game from 1992 onwards.
In the 1980s when Warne started playing his cricket, there were quality fast bowlers all round such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dennis-Keith-Lillee-c53639. Yet, he stepped up and bamboozled batsmen with his superb spin bowling.
On his debut against in 1992, Warne struggled against strong Indian batting line-up and returned with just a single wicket in the game. The breakthrough for the then young man was the first Test of the 1992 series against Sri Lanka in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, where he
bowled Australia to a thrilling victory.
“He was a resilient, courageous and tough opponent. Warnie was always a match winner because he had a great repertoire and a sense for the occasion. The greater the stakes the better the performance," the former Aussie skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Allan-Robert-Border-c43726 said of Warne.
With the passage of time, Warne’s confidence kept on building up. In the following series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760, he bowled magnificently and steered his team to many wins.
He was a superstar and thus, made a lot headlines. After Mark Taylor’s retirement in the early 1999, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746’s captain. However, before Waugh’s appointment, there were many rumours circulating in the media about Warne’s suitability for
the position.
In the 1999 World Cup, Warne showed his magic with the ball and played a key role in Australia’s outstanding victory in the mega event.
"His presence on the cricket field has not only inspired Australian cricket teams but also made life very difficult for opposition teams. It's always a significant advantage to walk on the field with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shane-Keith-Warne-c89672," said the former Australia skipper Steve
Waugh.
The 2003 World Cup in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 proved to be a nightmare for Warne, as one day before Australia’s first game of the tournament, it emerged that Warne had tested positive to a banned drug. He was sent home and subsequently one-year ban was imposed on the
great spinner.
After staying out of action for 12 months, Warne returned in style and was good as ever. In 2005 Ashes, Warne collected 40 wickets as well as 242 runs but his single-handed effort could not stop http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 from winning back the Ashes after 18 years.
He played his last Test in January 2007 against England. In 145 Tests, he nabbed 708 wickets – the second highest after Sri Lanka’s http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Muralitharan-c1864. In the 50-over cricket, he played 194 games, picking up 293 wickets
He was controversial but his marvellous achievements earned him a place among the legends of cricket.
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