Shane Keith Warne

Profile:

Shane Warne is an ebullient leg-spinner who has rewritten the record books and, according to some, almost singlehandedly revitalised the art of leg spin. In short, he is a sensational player. From a run-up which only encompasses a few paces, Warne combines a complete armoury of leg breaks, top spinners, googlies and flippers with enormous spin and considerable accuracy. He also varies his pace and flight deceptively; in many ways, he is in fact the complete leg spin bowler. It should be said that he is additionally a very useful lower order batsman who is able to hit hard and occasionally serves a role as a pinch hitter in one-day games.

Although he started his international career in disappointing style (taking 1/150 against India in 1991-92 in his first Test), struggled in the wake of shoulder surgery in 1998 and was dropped from the eleven in the Caribbean shortly afterwards, Warne has occupied a central place in Australian teams for the majority of the last decade. Moreover, he has terrorised batsmen across the globe and has spearheaded many Australian victories. To complement his natural skills, his bleached blond hair and larger than life personality on the field have earned him the nickname of "Hollywood" and a love-hate relationship with crowds that ensures that he draws spectators through the turnstiles almost wherever he plays.