Warne, Shane (1969-2022), was an Australian cricketer. He ranked among the greatest bowlers in the history of the sport. In 2000, a special panel of cricket experts selected Warne as one of the five “Wisden Cricketers of the Century.”
Shane Keith Warne was born on Sept. 13, 1969, in Ferntree Gully, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Warne made his Test debut in 1992 against India. He came to public attention in 1993 when, with his first ball in Test cricket in England, he bowled Mike Gatting with an unplayable delivery that spun several feet after pitching. After a serious finger injury in early 1997, he returned to his best form during the Ashes Test series played in England in that year. By the time Warne retired from international competition in 2007, he had taken 708 Test wickets at an average of more than 25 runs a wicket. Warne was the first cricketer to reach 700 Test wickets. Warne made his One Day International (ODI) debut in 1993 and played his last ODI match in 2005.
In addition to competing in international cricket for Australia, Warne played domestically for Victoria from the 1990-1991 season to the 2006-2007 season, and for the Melbourne Stars from the 2011-2012 season to 2013. He also played for Hampshire in England from 2000 to 2007 and was team captain from 2005 to 2007. From 2008 through 2011, he was captain of the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
Following his retirement, Warne worked with seriously ill and underprivileged children through his Shane Warne Foundation. He also wrote a cricket column for English and Australian newspapers, and served as an outspoken cricket commentator on television. In 2013, Warne was inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame. He died on March 4, 2022. Later that year, Warne was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to cricket and to charity. The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity.
