Shane Warne: Simply Sensational

“I just play because I love playing and I try and take as many wickets as I can” said the Australian who always makes actions speak more than his words do. Shane Warne has not only shown his superiority in the International arena but is continuing the best of his forms till date in the form of domestic cricket. This article introduces you to the charismatic, spectacular & the best leg spinner in the world who is also the second highest wicket taker in International Cricket.

KING OF TESTS

“Four hundred wickets is 400 more than I thought I’d get” the champion exclaimed when he got his record 400th wicket in tests, but he never knew that he still had a long way to go. Ending his test career with 708 wickets as the 2^nd highest wicket taker of all time with an econ. rate of only 2.65 , the leg-spinner left the world in shattered silence and absolute awe of his achievements. Described by Kim Hughes as the “Donald Bradman of Bowling”, Shane Warne took the leg-spin style of bowling to unprecedented heights and often surprised the batsmen by the exorbitant amount of spin he produced. He was highly accurate and magically controlled the degree of spin as per will. Despite coming in to bat as a tail-ender, he also managed to cross 3000 runs in test cricket which is much more than expected. Due to his achievements, he earned for himself tremendous amount of respect in the Test arena because of which Australia- Sri Lanka test series were renamed as the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy in 2007.

ONE DAY IS NOT ENOUGH

The 293 international wickets to his name in just 194 matches, when combined with the 708 in tests, makes him only the second bowler in history to cross the 1000 wicket milestone. Warney’s contribution to Australian Cricket in ODI’s is no less than any other spinner or fast bowler in the side. He was the one to help Australia sail through the semifinals against South-Africa and finals against Pakistan in World Cup ‘99 and also earned himself Man of the Match trophy in both the matches, thus helping Australia to their greatest cricket moments in history. Also a motivational captain, he acted skipper for 11 ODIs and won 10 of them. Warney retired from ODI cricket in 2003 though he appeared for ICC World XI for Tsunami Benefit Match in 2005.

TWENTY-20

Warne played his first T-20 in 2004 for Hampshire. After his retirement from International Cricket, Warne signed for the Rajasthan Royals team in the IPL and led the side for 4 years, helping them to the trophy in the very first season. The achievements and trophy speak much more than the statistics do for the Royals and the unprecedented triumph showed that Warne was a cricketer who constantly had the fire burning in his belly, who never failed to reinvent himself with every passing era. As long as the IPL and Royals exist, his achievements will stand the test of time with them, for he led a team full of novice youngsters with no superstar to the crown.

Shane Keith Warne, though involved in controversies, having seen ups & downs in career, still remains one of the outstanding and sensational bowlers in the cricket history.