The world is in shock and mourning the sudden demise of Australian legendary spinner Shane Warne. Late in the evening, the news broke that Shane Warne has passed away at the age of 52 due to a sudden heart attack. As hard as it may be to believe, the spin king left behind an unmatchable legacy. Warne, arguably one of the best bowlers in history, revolutionized spin bowling like no other. In the year 1992, the magician with the ball made his debut in the cricketing world, and he left international cricket in 2007. To celebrate the cricketing genius and his beautiful cricket journey, here are 7 highlights of Shane Warne’s career.
Here are 7 highlights of Shane Warne’s career
1. Most wickets in a cricket calendar
Warne had his greatest year statistically in Test cricket in 2005, two years after receiving a one-year suspension. During that year, in the 15 games he played, he picked up 96 wickets. This is still the most wickets a bowler has taken in a calendar year. He bowled 4336 balls and had six five-wicket hauls. Combine that with two 10-wicket hauls and a best of 6/46.
2. The second player with 1000+ wickets
The late spin king has nearly impossible to break the record of taking as many as 1001 wickets in his career. He is only the second player alongside Muralitharan to have 1000+ wickets. Warne has 708 wickets in Tests and 293 wickets in ODIs.
3. First IPL winning captain
Post international cricket, Warne spent years as a T20 specialist. He never had his hands on a Big Bash title with the Melbourne Stars. However, his captaincy and coaching were instrumental in the Rajasthan Royals winning the first-ever IPL title. Warne was significantly better in the IPL than many people realize, with an economy rate of less than eight per over and 19 wickets.
4. Highest number of Ashes wickets
Warne holds the record for most wickets taken by a bowler in the Ashes, with 195 from 36 Tests. He established himself in his first Ashes campaign in 1993, taking 34 wickets, including a best of 5/82. A year later, he befuddled England once again, taking 27 wickets in five matches. Warne’s best Ashes performance came in 2005 when he foxed English batters 40 times.
5. Most runs without a century
He had 3154 runs and 12 half-centuries throughout his career. But Warne unfortunately, never scored a ton. Warne came closest to making a century against New Zealand in 2001/02 but was out for 99.
6. First to reach 600 and 700 Test wickets
Warne was the first Test bowler to reach 600 and 700 wickets. When Australia and England faced off in one of the most famous Ashes series in history in 2005, Warne dismissed Marcus Trescothick to become the first bowler in history to reach 600 wickets. The following year, Warne took his 700th wicket, removing Andrew Strauss.
7. Most fifers and ten-fors by an Australian
With so many international wickets under his belt, it’s no wonder that Warne holds the Australian record for most fifers and ten-fors in cricket. He has 38 fifers in total, with 37 in Tests and one in ODIs, making him the second-most in the world. He has 10 ten-fors, which puts him in second place in the world.