Legendary Australian cricketer, Shane Warne was a master of the art of leg-spin bowling. With over 1000 wickets in 339 international matches, Warne had a rollercoaster of a career. He was undoubtedly a great bowler, but his career was constantly hit by injuries and controversies.
He made his international debut against India in 1992 at the Sydney Cricket Ground and could only manage to get one wicket in that series. His poor form in further matches led to him being dropped from the team. But, no one at that time would have thought that a 22-year old youngster, who weighed 97 kgs on his debut, would become the first man to take 700 wickets in Test cricket.
Here we take a look at five unique stats no one else holds other than the leggy.
Most wickets against a single opposition
Warne recorded 195 wickets against England which is the highest by any bowler against a single opposition in Test cricket. This also makes him the bowler to take maximum wickets in the Ashes series. In 36 matches, he picked up 195 wickets at an average of 23.25.
Most wickets in a calendar year in Tests
Warne had a great year in 2005, as he took 96 wickets in 15 Tests out of which 40 had come in the five-match Ashes series. This still remains as the maximum number of wickets taken by a bowler in a calendar year in Test cricket.
Most four-fors taken in World Cup semi-finals and finals
Warne played in two World Cups during his career in 1996 and 1999. Australia reached the final in both the editions and managed to win in 1999. In the 1996 semi-final, he took four for 36 in nine overs to snatch victory from the West Indies.
In the 1999 semi-final against South Africa, Warne bowled a crucial spell of four for 29 in his 10 overs, which consisted of four maidens. In the finals in the very same year, Warne took four wickets giving away just 33 runs in nine overs which helped Australia lift the World Cup. He was awarded ‘Man of the Match’ on all three occasions and would have bettered his record if he would have played in the 2003 World Cup as well.
Most Test runs without a ton
Not a stat that he would love to have to his name, but Warne missed out on a century by just one run, though he reached the 90s several times, he never got to three figures. With 3145 runs, he is the current leader of the most runs without a ton list.
Most catches taken by a player with more than 300 Test wickets
In his 145 Tests, Warne took a total 125 catches which is the highest for any player who has more than 300 Test wickets to his name. Legendary English cricketer, Ian Botham is the only other cricketer to have taken 300 wickets and 100 or more catches in Tests.
Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Greg Wood
