Characteristic
From disappointing debut to Rajasthan Royals captaincy to IPL title and everything in between
The great Australian Shane Warne died of a suspected heart attack in Thailand at the age of 52. Take a look at the ups and downs of the legendary player’s career, from his disappointing debut to being named one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the century. Rajasthan Royals to the IPL title.
1990 – False start
Warne is released from the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide for disciplinary reasons.
January 1992 – Australian debut
He will make his debut against India in the fourth Test in Sydney. It’s not a memorable exit as he ends up with the numbers 1 out of 150 from India’s only innings. Ravi Shastri is his victim.August 1992 – Breakthrough
The first test against Sri Lanka in Colombo is delicately prepared. Allan Border throws the ball to Warne as Australia drops a 181 defense on the fifth night: in 5.1 overs, Warne takes 3 for 11 to give Australia a 16-round win and show them he’s here.July 1993 – Ball of the century
Bowling his first ball in the ashes test, Warne tricks Mike Getting with a pitch that will forever be recognized as the ball of the century. It’s a perfect leg fracture, drifting and diving so hard that it lands outside of the leg stump and spins all the way through Gatting to hit the top of the stump. Warne ends the streak with 34 points at 25.79 from six tests – a legend is born.1994 – Magic year
He is ranked first in two of the three series he has played in and second in the third, Ashes. He scores a career-best 8-of-71 in Brisbane in the first Trial of Ashes and then hits a hat-trick in Melbourne.
Shane Warne fires Devon Malcolm to complete his hat-trick Getty Images
1995 – In Trouble
Mark Waugh and Warne are fined by the Australian Cricket Board, now Cricket Australia, after admitting they provided match details to an Indian bookie. ACB hides the scandal, but three years later the media exposes it.
1996 – The Great Escape
It’s the 1996 World Cup semi-finals, West Indies – 178 out of 4, just 30 points away from victory when the magician Warne shows up. He got rid of Ottis Gibson, Jimmy Adams and Ian Bishop in quick succession to finish with 4 for 36 and give Australia an incredible win.
1996 – Under the knife
Warne needs surgery on his rotating finger, which will cause him to miss a short tour of India.
March 1999 – Under renovation
First hit. Recovery from a shoulder injury has been slow and although he is Steve Waugh’s vice-captain on the West Indies tour, he was eliminated from the fourth and final Test of the epic series.
June 1999 – world champion.
Warne gets off to a bad start in the 1999 World Cup, but as the tournament draws to a close, he shifts gears. In the legendary semi-final against South Africa in Edgbaston, he scored 4/29 to help Australia equalize and reach the final. In the final, his 4 of 33 helped Pakistan pass him by 132 points to give Australia a second world title. He is man of the match in both games and his 20 wickets in the tournament are the most joint.Ijaz Ahmed lost to Shane Warne in the 1999 World Championship Final Getty Images
April 2000 – In star company
Less than ten years after his debut, Warne was selected by Wisden as one of the five cricketers of the century. With 27 votes, he is fourth on the list and the only one active among the top five – an indication of the impact he has had in such a short period. He is also in stellar company, along with Don Bradman, Harry Sobers, Jack Hobbs and Viv Richards. The previous month he had become the highest scoring player in Test cricket in Australia, surpassing Dennis Lilly’s tally of 355 wickets.
2003 – Autumn
Disaster, just as Australia is preparing to launch its world title defense campaign: Warne has tested positive for diuretics, a banned drug he says he used to lose weight. He is suspended by the Australian board of directors for a year. The ban effectively ended his ODI career.2004 – Redemption
Warne does not keep a low profile and, back in Test cricket, he wins a spin duel with Mufia Muralidaran in Sri Lanka. In a three-match series, he takes 26 wickets to help Australia whitewash the hosts despite falling behind in every game. During the series, he also becomes the first player to take 500 wickets in Test cricket. Later that year, during a historic series win in India, he becomes a leading player in Test cricket, breaking a tie with Muralidaran when he sacks Irrfan Patan for his 533rd wicket. In the process, he helps Australia reach the final frontier with a series of victories in India.September 2005 – Heroism in a Lost Cause
His greatest solo performance in one of the greatest series of all time: Ashes 2005. In five Tests, he picks up 40 wickets, including Andrew Strauss bowling at Edgbaston with a ball often referred to as the ball of the 21st century. In the third Test, he becomes the first bowler to hit 600 Test wickets. He even contributes with the bat, hitting 249 runs at an average of 27.66; most of his runs are in difficult situations. However, despite all this, Australia lost to the Ashes 2-1. In total, he hit 96 Test wickets in 2005, the most by any bowler in a calendar year.Shane Warne says goodbye to Australia in final Ashes Getty ImagesJanuary 2007 – Farewell
Warne is instrumental in Australia’s brutal revenge, whitewashing England 5-0 for only the second time in Ashes history. Warne picks up 23 wickets, including his 700th Test casualty – Strauss batted again at the MCG. He finishes with 708 Test wickets, a record at the time.June 2008 – finally captaincy.
Warne is known to be regarded as the best captain Australia has ever had (even though he led them in 11 ODIs). But after retiring, he gets a chance to play for the Rajasthan Royals, the Moneyball-inspired IPL franchise, and sure enough, he leads them to the title in their very first season. He is a player, a captain, and a coach, and yet a genius: he is the second most played player of the season with 19 scalps in 15 games.November 2015 – Bad idea
Warne and Sachin Tendulkar conceptualize an All-Star T20 series featuring retired cricketers, most of whom are great players. Warne captains the Warniors against the Sachins Blasters in three exhibition games in the US. The goal is to have matches played around the world for three and a half years, but no further series will be held.
Hemant Brar is Associate Editor of ESPNcricinfo.