On September 13, 1969, Australia's late spin-bowling legendShane Warne was born to Keith and Brigitte Warne at Upper Ferntree Gully in Victoria. He broke into cricket in the 1983-84 season, where he represented
University of Melbourne Cricket Club in the Victorian Cricket Association's Under-16 Dowling Shield competition. After that season, he became a part of St Kilda Cricket Club. In 1989, the leg-spinner played for the Imperial Cricket Club in the Western League in Bristol. Following a year, Warne was picked up to train at the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide. He left the academy after disagreements with management. In February 1991, he got a huge break from Victoria as he made his domestic debut against Western Australia at Junction Oval in Melbourne.
In January 1992, he was handed his international debut for Australiain the Test match against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 1992. He was also handed his ODI debut against New Zealand in Wellington. Almost after three years, when England toured Australia for the Ashes 1994-95, the home side claimed a 3-1 win, Warne emerged as the second-leading wicket-taker with 27 wickets in 10 innings of five matches. Warne’s last ODI World Cup appearance came in 1999, when Australia won the title for the second time under Steve Waugh’s captaincy. Warne played an instrumental role in the success by chipping in with 20 wickets in 10 contests, at a thrifty economy of 3.82. With these numbers, he ended up as the second-most successful bowler in the tournament.
Shane Warne’s exceptional Test records and IPL success with Rajasthan Royals
In 2007, Shane Warne retired from Test cricket after playing the Ashes2006-07 for Australia in their backyard. The home side hammered the English team by 5-0 and Warne took 23 wickets in five matches. He concluded his red-ball career as the leading wicket-taker with 708 scalps in 273 innings of 145 matches. In December 2007, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan shattered his record and became the highest wicket-taker in the format. Currently, Warne is the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests.
After retiring from international cricket, Warne captained Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL from 2008 to 2011. In the maiden season, he led the side from the front and guided the Pink Army to the title victory. He bagged 19 wickets in 15 matches at an economy of 7.76 and also ended up as the second most successful bowler in the season. In January 2013, Warne retired from all forms of the sport after serving Melbourne Star against Perth Scorchers in the 2012-13 Big Bash League (BBL).
