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In cricket half a century ago, two balls are remembered above all others. One, starting the Ashes series, veered shy of England’s Steve Harmison in 2006, and the other was about the magic of Shane Warne.
Thirty-three-year-old, the ball landed outside the leg stump of former England captain Mike Gatting; Spinning and dipping, turned off Pitch and zipped past the stunned batter, hitting him off the stump.
It was Warne’s first ball in a Test match for England, in 1993 at Old Trafford, Manchester. Dubbed the ‘Ball of the Century’.
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Shane Warne stunned the cricket world in 1993 with the ‘Ball of the Century’ off England batsman Mike Gatting at Old Trafford.
To build a career worthy of that opening, and the hype it creates, requires an extraordinary level of talent and personality. There are two colors.
He has the air of a man who has walked out of the waves of Bondi and onto the cricket ground to destroy another English innings, perhaps stopping a few tinnies along the way.
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Former England captain Mike Gatting recalled Shane Warne’s incredible delivery labeled the ‘Ball of the Century’ which resulted in a wicket in the first Test at Old Trafford in 1993.
Of the flood of tributes that poured in on this day a year ago from cricketing greats, perhaps India’s Sachin Tendulkar said it best: “There was never a dull moment with you around, on or off the field.”
He is not proud of everything. Womanising, alcohol, drug ban, fine for taking money from bookmaker.
One of those rare sportsmen – especially outside of football – who can be recognized wherever he goes, he is still generous with his time.
He dragged himself back when he went off the rails, and made a career as a respected media player.
But it was all founded on rare talent and fierce competitiveness in over 15 years of Test cricket.
He made spin bowling glamorous again – leg spin special.
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Shane Warne takes 40 wickets in thrilling 2005 Ashes series … watch it all here!
More than a thousand international wickets came at his expense. His bowling finger was broken and his right shoulder required surgery.
But he can bat well, as many English bowlers found his frustration, and has a big, safe hand in the slip, and shrewd captain.
To see Warne bowl in his mind is to watch the short event, the ripping action of the bowling, the ball circling the air with an impossible number of revolutions, the hope that something will happen, perhaps a tremendous attraction for the umpire.
A year on from his less than eventful death, the world of cricket has become a little darker, a little quieter, but we still have many memories of a career – and a life – lived to the full.
*This article was originally published on March 5, 2022
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