Birthday special: Shane Warne – 5 lesser-known facts about cricket’s ultimate showman
Shane Keith Warne, a spin bowling prodigy who changed spin bowling with his wizardry in the ’90s and 00s. Arguably one of the game’s greatest showmen, Warne passed away last year, leaving the cricketing fraternity in shock. There wasn’t a chink in his bowling, but he was never away from controversies on and off the field. Warne was everyone’s favourite bad guy who wore his heart on his sleeves every time he went on the pitch. On the eve of the late spin legend’s 54th birth anniversary, here are some of the lesser-known facts about the legend.
The No. 23 shirt
A larger-than-life character, Shane Warne had his inspiration from a sport other than cricket. He was a football fan growing up, and during his playing days as a cricketer, Warne donned the jersey with no. 23 on the back, in honour of his childhood hero, Australian rules footballer Dermott Brereton, who was regarded as the greatest player of his generation during his playing career.
Scandal with Mark Waugh in 1994
Shane Warne and controversy were a match made in heaven as the trailblazing Australian cricketer often found himself in the headlines. One such controversy came to light during the 1994 tour of Sri Lanka, where Warne and his teammate Mark Waugh allegedly sold information regarding the pitch and match conditions to a bookmaker. While Warne later revealed that he had no idea about the implications of such minor information, the duo was fined for their actions by CA.
Joint-highest wicket-taker of the 1999 World Cup
The 1999 World Cup saw Warne weave his magic on the field. The cunning leg-spinner outwitted batters throughout the tournament and was crucial to the Kangaroo’s success. He snared four Proteas in the semi-final against South Africa, which was one of the most iconic games in the format’s history, let alone the World Cup. The leggie followed it with another match-winning four-wicket haul in the final against Pakistan as Australia clinched their second World Cup title as Warne finished with 20 wickets.
Not an ideal debut
Warne made heads roll on his debut not because of his bowling but because of his extremely overweight stature. He was introduced to red-ball cricket in a game against India at the SCG in 1992. The chubby youngster was in for a lesson as he was hammered for 150 runs with just a solitary wicket to his name against a batting lineup that featured another youngster by the name of Sachin Tendulkar.
Warne was paid to quit smoking by a pharma company
Warne struggled with substance abuse throughout his career and was in the news for relapses during his playing days. He was offered £80,000 by a pharma company to quit his reckless smoking habit. Warne was supposed to refrain from smoking for four months as part of his New Year’s resolution.
