Who Is Shane Warne?
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5 min read
Shane Keith Warne is a renowned Aussie cricketer who has gone down in history for being one of the most effective and successful bowlers in the sport.
Throughout his career, Warne became known for bringing back the “almost-forgotten” art of leg-spin, adding plenty of colour to a sport that had, up until then, largely been dominated by speedy bowling.
Making his professional debut in 1991, he was selected for the Australian national team to compete against India in Sydney. Just two years later, in 1993, he racked up a total of 34 wickets over six Tests against England, building an average of 25.79.
A controversy in 2003 ejected him from playing for Australia during the World Cup, but he would return to the sport in 2004, competing in a Test match that saw him take his 500th wicket – an accomplishment achieved by just one other cricketer in the history of the sport up until then.
By the end of the 2003-04 season, he had bested the world record for Test wickets and set a brand new one of 532. That number soon increased to 708 and he held the record for the most wickets in Test cricket until 2007.
That same year, he retired from international Test cricket but continued to play at club level until 2011, competing for several teams home and abroad, including the Rajasthan Royals.
After retiring completely from the competition, Warne would go on to become a successful cricket commentator and noted celebrity sportsman. But, what has the Aussie legend been up to recently?
Let’s take a closer look at the latest Shane Warne news and his wiki-bio.
Full name
Shane Keith Warne
Birthplace
Ferntree Gully, Victoria
How old is Shane Warne?
Shane was born on September 13th 1969, making him 51 years old.
Shane Warne Nationality
Australian
Shane Warne Family
Spouse: Simone Callahan m. 1995-2005
Children: Brooke Warne, Jackson Warne, Summer Warne
Social Media Profiles
Shane Warne is currently active on Instagram and Twitter, where he has amassed 1.2 million and 3.6 million followers respectively.
Shane Warne Career Highlights
1993 – During the second Test match of the 1993 Ashes in Manchester, England, Shane Warne delivered a bowl that would both launch his career and bring back the lost art of leg-spin. The bowl was dubbed “ball of the century”, and his play was also crucial in securing Australia’s Ashes win that year, where they dominated the series and finished 4-1.
1999 – The 1999 World Cup final was hotly contested, with Australia facing stiff competition from Pakistan. Warne would emerge as Man of the Match, however, for his bowling victory, which took Australia to their second World Cup win.
2006-07 – The 06-07 Ashes was an important one for Australia after they lost the Ashes in 2005. The entire team was fired up, but it was arguably Warne’s time to shine as, during the Boxing Day Test, he became the first player to collect 700 career Test wickets. He ended the series with 708 scalps and helped secure yet another win for Australia.
2008 – After retiring from international cricket, Warne lent his considerable skills to the Rajasthan Royals in the 2008 IPL. He may never have had the opportunity to captain Australia, but he made for a more than adequate leader of the Indian team. Under his guide, they finished the inaugural tournament as champions. Warne has now been reappointed as Rajasthan Royal’s mentor.
Caption: Shane Warne arguably brought the leg-spin back to cricket
Shane Warne Endorsements
Unsurprisingly for such a noted athlete, Warne has amassed a number of lucrative endorsements throughout his career. He has signed multi-year sponsorship deals with numerous national and international brands, including Messages On Hold in 2005, Victoria Bitter during the 2007-08 series, and Codemaster video games.
Along with being an ambassador for land-based casino gaming, thanks to his association with the Crown Casino Melbourne, Warne also dipped his toes into the iGaming world during his sports career. Warnie, as he’s affectionately known, worked with the 888 brand, which has recently expanded into the US real money casino games market, and even competed in a series of poker tournaments.
In 2009, he launched a now-defunct men’s underwear and sock line, Spinners (which liquidated in 2011). However, he has found business success with the SevenZeroEight gin distillery. As founder and part-owner of the drinks brand, Warne has been able to capitalise on his notorious former partying days to launch the company on the world’s stage.
Outspoken Personality
A true Aussie through and through, Shane Warne has cultivated a reputation of being an outspoken personality and sports commentator. Clearly passionate about both cricket and many other popular sports, Warne’s unique commentary style and the occasional expletive have, over the years, landed him in hot water with broadcasters and viewers.
In 2019, for example, Warne’s commentary for Fox Sports of the Big Bash League drew criticism from iconic cricket commentator Jim Maxwell. Maxwell initially deemed some of Warne’s comments as “totally disrespectful”, even though he agreed that umpire Gerard Abood’s ruling during the Renegades/Sixers semi-final clash was a “pedantic” one.
More recently, Warnie has stoked the ire of Australia’s Women’s Football League after declaring the start of the AFL season as “proper footy”. Warne, it transpires, was oblivious to the fact that the AFL Women’s league had been running for weeks before the main AFL events and took to social media to clarify his comment – “proper footy was referring to recently watching other footy codes!”.
Love him or loathe him, however, Warne’s insider knowledge of professional cricket and his exceptional contributions to the sport, both on home turf and internationally, means he’s unlikely to be off the air anytime soon.
