Remembering spin maestro Shane Warne on his death anniversary

The demise of Shane Warne left the whole world of sports in shock. The legendary Australian leg-spinner left a deep impact on international cricket at the highest levels with his ingenuity and determination. His presence was enough to send shivers down every batting order in the world. To get a glimpse of the talent he possessed, one just needs to look at his delivery that dismissed England batter Mike Gatting during the Ashes.

'Ball Of The Century': Warne's first ball of the 1993-94 Ashes series has been written into the history books as the "Ball of the Century". The ball turned from a well outside leg stump to clip the off bail of Gatting's stumps. The late leg-spinner achieved this feat during the first Test of the Ashes series against England at Manchester. The particular ball by the then 23-year-old Warne took the breath of all cricket fans away.

Warne was one of the best leg-spinners to embrace the game. He scalped 708 wickets in his illustrious career which spanned 145 Test matches. He played 194 One Day Internationals for Australia in which he scalped 293 wickets.

The right-hander was also handy with the bat as he scored 3,154 runs in his Test career. In 16 years of career, the late Shane Warne broke many records. Till the time of his retirement, he had picked up 1,001 wickets in 339 international matches.

In 2005, Warne bagged 96 Test wickets and became the highest wicket-taker in a calendar year. Warne was one of the most influential cricketers in history. He almost single-handedly reinvented the art of leg-spin when he burst onto the international scene in the early 1990s, and by the time he retired from test cricket in 2007, he had become the first bowler to reach 700 Test wickets.

He officially retired from all formats of cricket in July 2013. He had retired from international cricket in January 2007 at the end of Australia's 5-0 Ashes series victory over England. Warne tragically passed away on March 4, 2022 due to a suspected heart attack in Thailand.

A statue of Warne is seen outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia. Considered one of the best spinners to grace the world of cricket, Warne's legacy is unmatched.