Australia cricket great Shane Warne, widely regarded as one of the greatest Test players of all time, died of a suspected heart attack aged 52, according to a statement from his management company.
Shane Warne, one of the greatest cricketers of all-time, dies at 52
Warne was credited with reviving the art of leg-spin and during a brilliant 15-year career he took 708 Test wickets – a tally surpassed only by Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 800.
Named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, alongside Donald Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Jack Hobbs and Viv Richards, Warne’s impact was enormous.
‘Stunned, shocked, miserable’: Tendulkar leads tributes as legendary Warne dies at 52
Warne, who became as well known for a colourful life away from cricket as he was for his exploits on the field, also helped Australia win the 1999 limited overs World Cup and took 293 wickets in 194 one-day internationals.
While the numbers in this article will tell you what a great cricketer Shane Warne was as per the record books, he provided fans and even present cricketers around the world countless moments of inspiration. As you look through the stats below for his achievements, here’s a Twitter thread from cricket archivist Robe Linda of his many celebrated and rarely seen moments.
Shane Warne’s short walk to genius
Fact-box:
Full name: Shane Keith Warne
Born: September 13, 1969 in Melbourne
Died: March 4, 2022 in Koh Samui, Thailand
Major teams: Australia, Victoria, Rajasthan Royals, Hampshire, Melbourne Stars
Bowling style: Right-arm leg-break
Test debut: v India, Sydney, January 1992
Last Test: v England, Sydney, January 2007
Test record: 145 matches, 708 wickets, 25.41 average
One-day record: 194 matches, 293 wickets, 25.73 average
Warne’s achievements:
- In 2000 selected as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet
- Leading wicket-taker in Tests before being overtaken by Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka
- Only second bowler after Muralitharan to take combined 1,000 wickets in Tests and ODIs
- Test hat-tricks: (1) v England, Melbourne, December 1994
- Highest Test score: 99 v New Zealand, Perth, November 2001
- Test catches: 125
- Test man-of-the-match awards: 17 (3rd most)
- 1999 World Cup Winner
- First IPL-winning captain
Shane Warne's career
| Format | Mat | Inns | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Econ | SR | 5-fors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 145 | 273 | 708 | 8/71 | 25.41 | 2.65 | 57.4 | 37 |
| ODI | 194 | 191 | 293 | 5/33 | 25.73 | 4.25 | 36.3 | 1 |
Most Test wickets (men's)
| Player | Span | Mat | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 5 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Muralitharan (ICC/SL) | 1992-2010 | 133 | 800 | 9/51 | 16/220 | 22.72 | 2.47 | 55.0 | 67 | 22 |
| SK Warne (AUS) | 1992-2007 | 145 | 708 | 8/71 | 12/128 | 25.41 | 2.65 | 57.4 | 37 | 10 |
| JM Anderson (ENG) | 2003-2022 | 169 | 640 | 7/42 | 11/71 | 26.58 | 2.80 | 56.8 | 31 | 3 |
| A Kumble (INDIA) | 1990-2008 | 132 | 619 | 10/74 | 14/149 | 29.65 | 2.69 | 65.9 | 35 | 8 |
| GD McGrath (AUS) | 1993-2007 | 124 | 563 | 8/24 | 10/27 | 21.64 | 2.49 | 51.9 | 29 | 3 |
| SCJ Broad (ENG) | 2007-2022 | 152 | 537 | 8/15 | 11/121 | 27.80 | 2.93 | 56.9 | 19 | 3 |
| CA Walsh (WI) | 1984-2001 | 132 | 519 | 7/37 | 13/55 | 24.44 | 2.53 | 57.8 | 22 | 3 |
| DW Steyn (SA) | 2004-2019 | 93 | 439 | 7/51 | 11/60 | 22.95 | 3.24 | 42.3 | 26 | 5 |
| N Kapil Dev (INDIA) | 1978-1994 | 131 | 434 | 9/83 | 11/146 | 29.64 | 2.78 | 63.9 | 23 | 2 |
Most ODI wickets (men's)
| Player | Span | Mat | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Econ | SR | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Muralitharan (Asia/ICC/SL) | 1993-2011 | 350 | 534 | 7/30 | 23.08 | 3.93 | 35.2 | 15 | 10 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 1984-2003 | 356 | 502 | 5/15 | 23.52 | 3.89 | 36.2 | 17 | 6 |
| Waqar Younis (PAK) | 1989-2003 | 262 | 416 | 7/36 | 23.84 | 4.68 | 30.5 | 14 | 13 |
| WPUJC Vaas (Asia/SL) | 1994-2008 | 322 | 400 | 8/19 | 27.53 | 4.18 | 39.4 | 9 | 4 |
| Shahid Afridi (Asia/ICC/PAK) | 1996-2015 | 398 | 395 | 7/12 | 34.51 | 4.62 | 44.7 | 4 | 9 |
| SM Pollock (Afr/ICC/SA) | 1996-2008 | 303 | 393 | 6/35 | 24.50 | 3.67 | 39.9 | 12 | 5 |
| GD McGrath (AUS/ICC) | 1993-2007 | 250 | 381 | 7/15 | 22.02 | 3.88 | 34.0 | 9 | 7 |
| B Lee (AUS) | 2000-2012 | 221 | 380 | 5/22 | 23.36 | 4.76 | 29.4 | 14 | 9 |
| SL Malinga (SL) | 2004-2019 | 226 | 338 | 6/38 | 28.87 | 5.35 | 32.3 | 11 | 8 |
| A Kumble (Asia/INDIA) | 1990-2007 | 271 | 337 | 6/12 | 30.89 | 4.30 | 43.0 | 8 | 2 |
| ST Jayasuriya (Asia/SL) | 1989-2011 | 445 | 323 | 6/29 | 36.75 | 4.78 | 46.0 | 8 | 4 |
| J Srinath (INDIA) | 1991-2003 | 229 | 315 | 5/23 | 28.08 | 4.44 | 37.8 | 7 | 3 |
| DL Vettori (ICC/NZ) | 1997-2015 | 295 | 305 | 5/7 | 31.71 | 4.12 | 46.0 | 8 | 2 |
| SK Warne (AUS/ICC) | 1993-2005 | 194 | 293 | 5/33 | 25.73 | 4.25 | 36.3 | 12 | 1 |
Most combined international wickets
| Player | Mat | Inns | Wkts | SR | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Muralitharan (Asia/ICC/SL) | 495 | 583 | 1347 | 46.8 | 77 |
| SK Warne (AUS/ICC) | 339 | 464 | 1001 | 51.2 | 38 |
| A Kumble (Asia/INDIA) | 403 | 501 | 956 | 57.8 | 37 |
| GD McGrath (AUS/ICC) | 376 | 493 | 949 | 44.5 | 36 |
| JM Anderson (ENG) | 382 | 524 | 927 | 50.0 | 33 |
MOST WICKETS IN A CALENDAR YEAR (Tests)
| Player | Year | Mat | Wkts | BBI | Ave | SR | 5-fors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SK Warne (AUS) | 2005 | 15 | 96 | 6/46 | 22.02 | 45.1 | 6 |
| M Muralitharan (SL) | 2006 | 11 | 90 | 8/70 | 16.90 | 39.2 | 9 |
| DK Lillee (AUS) | 1981 | 13 | 85 | 7/83 | 20.95 | 43.6 | 5 |
| AA Donald (SA) | 1998 | 14 | 80 | 6/88 | 19.63 | 40.4 | 7 |
| M Muralitharan (SL) | 2001 | 12 | 80 | 8/87 | 21.23 | 58.6 | 7 |
Most 5-wicket hauls in Test innings
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | 5-fors in inns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Muralitharan (ICC/SL) | 1992-2010 | 133 | 230 | 67 |
| SK Warne (AUS) | 1992-2007 | 145 | 273 | 37 |
| Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ) | 1973-1990 | 86 | 150 | 36 |
| A Kumble (INDIA) | 1990-2008 | 132 | 236 | 35 |
| HMRKB Herath (SL) | 1999-2018 | 93 | 170 | 34 |
| JM Anderson (ENG) | 2003-2022 | 169 | 314 | 31 |
| R Ashwin (INDIA) | 2011-2022 | 85* | 158 | 30 |
| GD McGrath (AUS) | 1993-2007 | 124 | 243 | 29 |
Most 10-wicket hauls in Test matches
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | 10-fors in matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Muralitharan (ICC/SL) | 1992-2010 | 133 | 230 | 22 |
| SK Warne (AUS) | 1992-2007 | 145 | 273 | 10 |
| Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ) | 1973-1990 | 86 | 150 | 9 |
| HMRKB Herath (SL) | 1999-2018 | 93 | 170 | 9 |
| A Kumble (INDIA) | 1990-2008 | 132 | 236 | 8 |
Here are some more numbers from the great career of Warne:
Stats in tables applicable to men’s international cricket and courtesy ESPNCricinfo Statsguru. With text inputs from AFP
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