Shane Warne

Warne represented a new generation of bowler, even though his style harkened back to the classic days of the sport. He invaded the conservative sport with his posterboy looks, dyed blonde hair, and an ear stud. Warne often wore zinc-colored face paint to protect his cheeks from the sun. Lots of young Australian boys imitated his look and tried to mimic his unorthodox bowling style. Warne remained a sex symbol in Australia even as his paunchy stomach grew bigger and even after he and his wife, Simone, had three children, Brooke, Jackson, and Summer. Something of a showoff, Warne was a larger-than-life presence on the pitch and was nicknamed "Hollywood." Fans either loved or hated him, and he became one of the game's most popular draws.

He also rewrote the cricket record book. In 1992 Warne became Australia's top wicket taker and remained so for many seasons. In 1998 he underwent shoulder surgery. But the following year he led Australia to victory in the World Cup. He was named Man of the Match twice in the World Cup, in the semifinal against Australia and in the final against Pakistan.

In 2000 Warne was named one of Wisden's five top cricketers of the twentieth century. That year, he became the highest wicket taker in Australian cricket history, surpassing Dennis Lillee's 355 wickets, and he went over 400 in 2001. By the end of 2002, he was closing in on Courtney Walsh's world record of 519 wickets in Tests.

Warne's career was blemished by revelations about his association with bookies. In 1994 the Pakistans allegedly tried to bribe him to bowl badly in a crucial test. In 1998 he and fellow Australian Mark Waugh were fined after admitting they gave a bookkeeper in India critical information about the weather and the pitch in exchange for money in Sri Lanka in 1994.