Updated September 23rd, 2019 at 23:21 IST

Shane Warne: The greatest Australian spinner of all time

The Australian cricket team has been blessed with a host of talented spinners over the years. But one name stands out from the rest and that is - Shane Warne

Reported by: Daniel Arambur
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At his prime, Australia spinner Shane Keith Warne was unplayable across all formats of the game. The magical wrist-spinner was a threat for batsmen across the world. Arguably one of the most influential spinners in cricket, Shane Warne, redefined the role a spinner played in the Australian cricket team. Read below to find out more about the skilled spinner’s stats and records with the national team.

Australian cricket team and Shane Warne

With 708 Test match wickets from 145 matches, Shane Warne is perhaps the greatest bowler to have played for the Australian cricket team on par with the legendary Glenn McGrath. After making his debut for Australia in 1992, Shane Warne stamped his dominance across all formats in the next 15 years. The former Rajasthan Royals player quickly established himself as one of the greatest spinners of the modern era. His closest competitor was Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan who has a superior tally of 800 wickets from 133 Test matches.

ALSO READ | Shane Warne left shocked by Nathan Lyon delivery

Significant stats & figures

Warne, who hung up his boots from international cricket in 2007 following Australia’s 5-0 Ashes win against England, was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. The notorious spinner was captain of the Australian cricket team in the ODI format too. In 2013, Warne was also inducted into the ICC hall of fame. A year before that, Shane Warne was included in the Cricket Hall of Fame by Cricket Australia. Notably, the 49-year old also played a crucial role as he led Rajasthan Royals to the maiden IPL trophy back in 2008.

Australian cricket team and their recent Ashes triumph

Australia recently registered a comfortable win in the fourth Ashes Test match at Manchester. Steven Smith starred for the visiting team as they ran out winners by a margin of 185 runs. Nathan Lyon was the sole spinner in the Australian team for the match and picked up two wickets across both innings. Lyon is widely regarded as the greatest off-spinner to have played for the Australian cricket team in the last decade.

ALSO READ | Shane Warne picks between Steven Smith and Virat Kohli

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Published September 23rd, 2019 at 11:58 IST