OTD | Former legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne was born in 1969

Shane Warne is arguably one of the greatest spinners of all time. Born on 13 September 1969 in Victoria, Warne made his international debut in the Test format in 1992 and played until 2007. The right-arm leggie’s wind-up action has helped him generate tremendous spin that was a nightmare for the opposition. 

Warne didn’t get off to the best start to his international career but proved to be a quick learner as he began to dominate the following year. During this period, he even produced the famous ‘ball of the century’ to dismiss Mike Gatting in the Ashes series. Unfortunately, Gattling was not the only one to be puzzled by Warne’s fearsome leg-spin balls.

He represented Australia in 145 Tests and 194 ODIs during his illustrious career. Warne is the second-highest wicket-taker in the longer format of the game with 708 scalps. He has taken 10 wickets on 10 occasions and fifers 37 times. In the 50-over format, he has grabbed 293 wickets at an average of 25.74, with only one five-wicket haul.

After retiring from international cricket, Warne joined Rajasthan Royals to play in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. He was appointed as the captain and led them to glory in the very first season. He continued to be an integral part of the team till 2013. He took up the role of television commentator before taking over as the coach of the Royals in the 2018 IPL. 

In 2007, Cricket Australia included Warne in their best-ever ODI XI. On 22 December 2011, a statue honouring him was unveiled outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). In 2012, he was inducted into Cricket Australia’s Cricket Hall of Fame. The following year, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Warne died at the age of 52 after suffering a sudden heart attack while on holiday in Thailand. 

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