I dislike Australia ns almost as much as New Zealanders and Cork people… (only in sporting terms, of course – outside of sport, Aussies and Kiwis are really nice people). Shane Warne is different.

Always a “colourful” character, in his sporting career he has been fined for accepting money from bookies, missed a Cricket World Cup due to being banned for drug use, involved in many extra-marital affairs which led to his divorce, caused opponents to need therapy to deal with his psychologic abuse, and yet he remains one of the most popular and iconic faces of Australian sport – a national hero. He’s just that good.

Even if you’re not much of a cricket fan, you’ll appreciate the skill shown here in “The Ball of the Century“, the most famous of his 699 wickets (an all time record) thus far (2s):

Unbelievable spin! Here’s an interview with Warne on some of his greatest wickets:

He’ll be missed.