Shane Warne (1969-2022): King of spin out

Shane Warne mixed legendary cricket deeds with lurid headlines away from the pitch in a career as bewitching as his famed wronglsquoun Warne who has died at the age of 52 from a suspected heart attack was never one for halfmeasures throughout his extraordinary 15year Test careerUnconventionalThe greatest legspinner of them all carved out a flamboyant lifestyle cast outside the mould of a traditional cricketing icon often putting himself at odds with the gamersquos puristsVainglorious Warne did things his way and will be remembered for his dalliances and forthright opinions as much as for his pioneering 708 Test wickets in a 145Test career that made him the scourge of batsmen worldwide Warne is entrenched in Australiarsquos sporting pantheonmdashin the eyes of many he is second only to cricketrsquos immortal Don Bradman Yet his achievements are tempered for some by his penchant for a zesty private life including at one point being engaged to British actress Liz HurleyBut Warnersquos contribution to cricket is not in doubt notably after he resurrected the waning art of legspin becoming the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets and delivered the most famous ball in the sportrsquos history Warne posted inauspicious figures of 1150 in his 1992 Test debut but knuckled down under spin guru Terry Jenner Eighteen months later Warne riveted the cricketing world with the ldquoball of the centuryrdquo against England Warnersquos first legbreak delivery in an Ashes Test turned viciously to bamboozle Englandrsquos Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993 that heralded the arrival of a cricketing superstarMind gamesHe was a master of mind games targeting batsmen ahead of a series and warning he was working on a new mystery ball to bowl out his ldquobunniesrdquo in the opposition lineup He gave a manofthematch performance when Australia won the World Cup in 1999 and was known for a sharp and inventive cricketing brain which saw him long touted as Australian Test skipperHighs and lowsgtgt January 1992 Takes meagre 1150 on his Test debut against India in Sydneygtgt June 4 1993 Bamboozles Englandrsquos Mike Gatting with the ldquoball of the centuryrdquo at Old Trafford his first ever delivery in an Ashes Testgtgt December 29 1994 Claims Test hattrick against England at the MCGgtgt December 1998 Fined along with teammate Mark Waugh for providing information to an Indian bookmaker during Australiarsquos 1994 tour of Sri Lankagtgt June 20 1999 Named World Cup finalrsquos man of the match as Australia beat Pakistangtgt April 2000 Voted one of Wisden magazinersquos five ldquoCricketers of the Centuryrdquo along with Donald Bradman Garry Sobers Jack Hobbs and Viv Richardsgtgt August 2000 Stripped of Australian vicecaptaincy after bombarding an English nurse with lewd text messagesgtgt February 2003 Sent home from World Cup in South Africa and banned for a year after testing positive for a proscribed diureticgtgt December 26 2006 Becomes first bowler to reach 700 Test wickets in front of his home crowd at the MCGTweet talkRohit SharmaImRo45 Irsquom truly lost for words here this is extremely sad An absolute legend and champion of our game has left us RIP Shane Warnehellipstill canrsquot believe itSir Vivian Richards ivivianrichards Unbelievable I am shocked to the core This canrsquot be trueRest In Peace ShaneWarne There are no words to describe what I feel right now A huge loss for cricketAjinkya Rahaneajinkyarahane88 Shocked to hear about Shane Warnersquos departure Shared some wonderful years with him during the start of my career Rest in peace legendHarbhajan Singhharbhajan_singh Nooooooooooooooo canrsquot believe you are no more ShaneWarne RIP my HERO donrsquot wanna believe this totally shatteredKumar SangakkaraKumarSanga2 Absolutely shocked and gutted to hear about ShaneWarne legend and friend Just Canrsquot believe itRishabh PantRishabhPant17 Terribly saddened and shocked to hear the news that Shane Warne has passed away The greatest spin bowler of all time RIPChris Gaylehenrygayle RIP LEGEND ShaneWarneVirender Sehwag virendersehwag Cannot believe it One of the greatest spinners the man who made spin cool superstar Shane Warne is no more Life is very fragile but this is very difficult to fathom My heartfelt condolences to his family friends and fans all around the worldSuresh RainaImRaina At loss of words to hear about the demise of our cricketing legend Shane Warne he was always magical on the field May peace be with you My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved onesShikhar DhawanSDhawan25 Sad speechless and completely shocked An incredible loss to cricket I have no words Thank you for everything yoursquove done for the sport Rest in Peace Shane Warne Sending my condolences to his loved ones