Shane Warne

From his earliest days in cricket, Warne had a reputation as a carouser. He attended Australia's prestigious Cricket Academy but was expelled for "indiscipline." Reportedly Warne spent too much time drinking and partying.

Warne made his Test debut for Australia versus India on January 2, 1992. Immediately he began a national sensation. He revived the nearly dying bowler's craft of leg-spinning, and eventually some experts claimed he was the best leg-break bowler ever. Leg spinning requires incredible control, and Warne combined it with wrist spinning—bowling out of the back of the hand with a cocked wrist. His style was one of the most difficult to master. Most wrist spinnners have to sacrifice control to get their bowls to break, but Warne combined exceptional control with pronounced and devastating spins. He could fire the ball at the batsmen's legs and still get it to curl back and hit a stump.

Warne also mastered the difficult "flipper," a delivery which starts with a long, lazy hop before diving fast and low past the batter. He also could bowl a "googly," a ball delivered to look like a leg break but which turns the other direction at the last moment. Varying his pace and

Shane Warne

flight, Warne was a master of deception and a sensational bowler who delighted crowds by making opposing batsmen look foolish. He was also a competent right-handed batsman who could hit the ball hard, and he often pinch-hit during one-day games.