Muristek
LONDON, March 4
Shane Warne was not only one of the greatest cricketers ever to play the game but he can also probably be credited with saving the art of spin bowling in a sport that had become dominated by relentless pace.
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His extraordinary figures tell the first half of the story and the proliferation of leg-spin bowlers, at the sharp end of the attack in almost every form of the game now, shows the other.
Warne died at the age of 52 from a suspected heart attack today, hours after tweeting his love to the family of another Australian Test legend, wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, who died on Thursday.
Warne wrote that Marsh was "an inspiration to so many young boys and girls" ndash; an epitaph that the peerless leg spinner deserves 10 times over.
Warne finished his career with 708 wickets in 145 Tests, a record that was later broken by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800), which included a career-best of 8/71 against England at the Gabba.
He also picked up 293 ODI wickets and won the World Cup with Australia in 1999. Warne too was a handy late-order batsman. Though his Test average was only 17.3, he took the role seriously and holds the record for the most Test runs (3,154) without a century — his highest score being 99.
Of those 708 wickets none would or could have made more impact than his first Ashes wicket, the infamous "ball of the century" that pitched outside leg stump and took off to shatter England batsman Mike Gatting's off peg at Old Trafford in the 1993 series.
Never before had a new talent blasted on to the scene in such a devastating style.
Warne went on to become part of an all-conquering Australia side, with the likes of Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie delivering relentlessly accurate pace attack that left Warne to rip into the worn-down batsmen.
When their job was done, the formidable batting line-up, headed by the likes of Mark Taylor, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting, built totals that were a bowler's dream and opened the door for Warne to clean up and win match after match, series after series.
His endlessly repeatable action meant he could bowl marathon spells and such was his accuracy that, alongside being a demon attacking weapon, he was also parsimonious in terms of leaking runs ndash; another unusual aspect for a spinner that made him effective in One-day games.
It was not all plain sailing, however, as in 2003 he failed a doping test for a diuretic and was banned from all cricket for a year ndash; ruling him out of Australia's defence of the World Cup.
He returned from the layoff refreshed and fit and continued to take big hauls as he became the game's all-time leading wicket-taker in a cat-and-mouse competition with Muralitharan.
His final Test was at Sydney in 2007 when he took his 1,000th international wicket in all forms of the game.
His career continued in T20, where he was a hugely popular captain of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, having also made friends with his oldest enemies in England as captain of County side Hampshire. — Reuters
A huge loss for cricket
Unbelievable... shocked to the core. This can't be true... There are no words to describe what I feel right now. A huge loss for cricket. Viv Richards, West Indies great
I'm truly lost for words here, this is extremely sad. An absolute legend and champion of our game has left us. RIP Shane... still can't believe it. Rohit Sharma, India captain
He was one of the greatest competitors. Played hard on field and was one of the first to have a beer with you after. Was always a pleasure and challenge playing against him. More importantly loved his kids endlessly. One of crickets greats. Jacques Kallis, former South Africa all-rounder
Master's class
96 wkts Warne tops the list of most wickets in a calendar year in the Test format.
17 He is third among the players with the most player-of-the-match records.
2nd The spinner is second in the rungs of most ten-wickets-in-a-match in a career.
Other career highlights
Was named one of Wisden's five best players of the 20th century. First player to take 700 wickets, although his record was ultimately surpassed by Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets). Became the first player in over 90 years to take a hat-trick in the Ashes when he achieved the feat against England at Melbourne in 1994. Broke Dennis Lillee's Australian record of 355 Test wickets on tour in New Zealand in 2000. Finished his career with the most runs in Test cricket (3,154) without a hundred to his name. Retired from First-Class cricket after a season with English county Hampshire but was lured back by the riches of the Indian Premier League in 2008, signing up as captain and coach of the Rajasthan Royals.