Aussie Cricketer Shane Warne born 13th September 1969 in Victoria, Australia

Shane Warne is one of the true pioneers of the game of cricket who breathed a new life into it by evolving its most subtle art, leg spin. There may be a dime a dozen leg spinners more capable than Warne, but his ability to produce the goods in the most unlikely of circumstances and crunch times has made him immortal in the cricketing world. Ability aside, he has the kind of competitive attitude that could fill stadiums, and all this was possible due to the passion and intensity he brought at the crease. Shane Warne has been quoted “the best leg spin bowler of all time” by Richie Benaud, who was not far behind himself, and for many, his word should be considered good enough.

Shane Keith Warne was born on 13 September 1969 in Victoria, Australia. Warne has been dubbed the “King of Spin”, and goes by the nickname of Warnie. Shane Warne is a right arm bowler who could be as effective over the wicket, as he was around the wicket. There were a number of honors bestowed upon SK Warne throughout his career, but none more prestigious than being nominated as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. Wisden is the most prestigious cricket publication printed to date. Warne is not one of a long line of sporting heroes who have spent their entire lives perfecting the same art, as he plays poker during his free time, and competes professionally.

The latter part of Warne’s career was a sprint with Muttiah Muralitharan, as who got to the 1000 international wicket milestone first. The race ended in Murali’s favor, as Warne tested positive to a drug test, leading him to a 1-year suspension during the time Australia headed on to win the 2003 ICC ODI World Cup. It was on 3 December 2007, 11 months after Warne’s last Test Match, that Muttiah Muralitharan claimed the honor of having taken the most Test Wickets by any player in the history of cricket, an honor, which belonged to Warne during much of his latter career.

Warne was not only the most fierce leg spinner to tread down a pitch, but also a useful lower order batsman, who batted as part of the tail, getting little opportunities to score, but making as many as 3,154 runs throughout the course of 145 Test Matches. His quality of batting did not become deteriorated as his career reached its final years, as Warne averaged over 25 in the iconic Ashes 2005, in which he was confronted with match changing opportunities.

Warne’s retirement from Test Matches came in 2007 after a comprehensive 5-0 win over England, in which three of the old warhorses, Damien Martyn, Justin Langer, and Shane Warne himself retired indefinitely from Test Matches, which led the then captain of Australian Test side, Ricky Ponting to declare the event as an end to an era.

Warne may have retired from Test Cricket, but his enthusiasm for the game remained intact. Even half a decade after his retirement, Warne can be spotted in the commentary box or playing for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League. News surrounding Warne’s invitation to Usain Bolt to play publicity matches for the league has surfaced recently.