Five moments that made Shane Warne special

1. Ball of the Century (1993 Ashes)

Ball of the century!

This was the moment that made the entire cricketing fraternity sit up and take notice of a blond-haired leg-break bowler who was relatively inexperienced in the longer format. Up until this magical occurrence, spin was considered an archaic art, and was seldom factored into a side’s bowling plans; it was pace bowling that ruled the roost in those days.

The Old Trafford pitch had traditionally assisted spinners; England went in with two specialists in Phil Tufnell and debutant Peter Such. Australia fielded three pacers, with Warne as the sole spinner.

Mike Gatting, a world-class batsman and a superb player of spin, was on strike, and England were on cruise mode in pursuit of Australia’s first-innings total. Skipper Allan Border turned to the young leggie, and what followed left everyone stunned.

Warne sent down a leg-break, taking a short run-up to the bowling crease. Gatting thrust his left leg forward, confident that the ball would pitch outside leg-stump. However, it spun more than he expected upon landing, beat the outside edge of the bat, and clipped the top of the off-stump, sending the bails flying in the air.

Gatting was numb with shock. Healy, behind the stumps, jumped for joy as the fielders swarmed around the young bowler. England never recovered, and Warne went on to take eight wickets in the entire match, as Australia ended up winning the series 4-1. This was the start of the Kangaroos’ long domination of world cricket, and the rise of the Victorian leg-spinner.