Via Sky Sports
Any avid cricket supporter would know of one blonde man that sent shivers down the opposition batsmen and to any fan around, the legend himself Shane Warne. One of the two stellar cricketers of the 90s along with Sachin Tendulkar, he could conjure the ball to swerve and twist magically, most famously known for reviving Leg-spin bowling by spectacularly dismissing Mike Gatting in the 92-93 ashes which also known as the ‘Ball of the Century.’
He would batter the retro batting lineups of England, New Zealand, and South Africa - conversely, he had struggled against India, particularly against Sachin Tendulkar. Warne’s list of accolades is too many to mention though most notably he was a member of the Golden Era of Australian cricket that dominated the late 90s and early 2000s. 1999 was a season to remember having won the ICC World Cup as vice-captain and highest wicket-taker and rain of wickets and wins to follow. That may have been his last highlight as Warne missed the entire Australian summer of 2000–01 with a finger injury, and found himself battling rising talents Stuart MacGill and an in-form Colin Miller to be selected for Australia's tour of India in 2001. Again, in an ODI in December 2002, he suffered a shoulder injury. The injury not only ruled him out of the remainder of the Ashes series but put him in doubt for the World Cup, due to commence in February 2003. However it got even worse, in February 2003, a day before the start of the World Cup, Warne was sent home after a drug test during a one-day series in Australia returned a positive result for a banned drug and ended up getting him a one-year ban from organized cricket. The ban prolonged his retirement from ODI and he was soon to retire from his beloved test. Warne's final Test was held at the same venue as his first, 15 years earlier at the SCG, and was able to achieve a rare feat of 1000 international wickets.
Even though his chapter with Australia had concluded, he made a name for himself captaining Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals. Inadvertently as underdogs he led them to their maiden IPL title in the inaugural season.
He was a man of all flavors and lived life king-sized. From losing cash at poker tournaments to hitting on nurses whilst married he did it all.
As I conclude it can be said his controversies are severely outweighed by his illustrious career and legacy. His death may have sent shockwaves through cricket. He is one of only two bowlers to have taken 1000+ wickets in international cricket, the other being Muttiah Muralitharan. On behalf of all cricket fans and people in general, Warney you will be missed!
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