In the first Test of the 1993 Ashes in Manchester, former Australian legend Shane Warne destroyed Mike Gatting with a peach of a delivery that was dubbed the “Ball of the Century.” After taking eight wickets in the contest, Warne ultimately won Player of the contest.
Remarkably, this was Shane Warne first-ever Ashes series delivery. After being pitched outside leg stump and bowled from over-the-wicket, the delivery spun viciously past Gatting’s outside edge bat and clipped the outside part of the off stump.
The leg-spinner was thrilled with what he had produced on his first ball in the historic series, as the wicketkeeper and the fielders surrounded him in pure joy. In England’s first innings, Gatting was the second wicket to be removed. Australia took a 79-run advantage in the first innings before bowling England out for 210.
The tourists reached 432/5 in their second innings before declaring thanks to Ian Healy’s undefeated 102 off 133 and three other half-centuries. Graham Gooch, the captain, was the only batter to make a significant contribution as England ultimately failed.
During the hosts’ second innings, Shane Warne bowled a staggering 26 maidens in 49 overs.
Shane Warne solidified his reputation in cricket history before dying in 2022 at the age of 52. Shane Warne was a vital component of Australia’s supremacy in both the red-ball and white-ball formats, taking 708 wickets in 145 Test matches and 293 in 194 ODIs.
He is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in the longest format’s history. Warne received numerous honours during his playing career, but one of the most noteworthy ones was Player of the Match for his four-wicket haul (4/33 in 9 overs) against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup final. Warne remained involved in franchise cricket and coaching for a while after leaving international cricket.
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