Shane Keith Warne AO was an Australian international cricketer whose career ran from 1992 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batter for Victoria, Hampshire, the Melbourne Stars and Australia. Warne also played for and coached the Rajasthan Royals, including captaining the team to victory in the inaugural season of the IPL. Arguably amongst the greatest bowlers ever to play the game, Shane Warne redefined spin bowling like never before. “Warnie” brought a style quotient to slow bowling with his famous walk up to the crease and a ripping wind up action. Not only did Warne generate tremendous spin off the pitch but was also immensely accurate - a trait that is very tough for a leg-spinner to conquer.

Warne was born in Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, on 13 September 1969. His mother was born in Germany of a German mother and a Polish father who had migrated to Germany as a teenager. He attended Hampton High School from Grades 7–9 before being offered a sports scholarship to attend Mentone Grammar, where he spent his final three years of school. Warne's first representative honours came in the 1983–84 season when he represented University of Melbourne Cricket Club in the Victorian Cricket Association's under-16 Dowling Shield competition. He bowled a mixture of leg-spin and off-spin, and was a handy lower-order batsman.

The following season, Warne joined St Kilda Cricket Club, which is located near his home suburb Black Rock. He started in the lower elevens and, over a number of seasons, progressed to the first eleven. During the cricket off-season in 1987, Warne played five games of Australian rules football for St Kilda Football Club's under-19s team. In 1988, Warne again played for the St Kilda Football Club's under-19 team before being promoted to the reserves team, one step below professional level, where he played a single game. The same year, he also kicked 7 goals in the under-19s in St Kilda's round 10 game against Hawthorn. Following the 1988 Victorian Football League season, St Kilda delisted Warne and he began to focus solely on cricket.

In 1989, Warne had a six-month stint in Bristol, playing for the Imperial Cricket Club in the Western League, where he took 49 wickets at 15.22. While playing in Bristol, Warne lived in the attic of the pavilion of the cricket club. In 1990, Warne was chosen to train at the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide. Warne struggled with the discipline at the academy and left following disagreements with management. In 1991, Warne joined Accrington Cricket Club of the Lancashire League as their professional player for that year's cricket season. After initially struggling in English conditions, he had a good season as a bowler, taking 73 wickets at 15.4 runs each but scored only 329 runs.

Warne was recalled to the Australian Cricket Academy in 1992, where he honed his leg spin abilities under former Australian Test spinner Terry Jenner. Jenner is credited with harnessing Warne's raw talents and coaching him to become more professional in his preparation and approach to the game. Warne was selected for the Australia B team, which toured Zimbabwe in September 1991. In the second tour match at Harare Sports Club, Warne recorded his first first-class score of five wickets or more in an innings when he took 7/49 in the second innings, helping Australia B to a nine-wicket win. In December 1991, upon returning to Australia, Warne took 3/14 and 4/42 for Australia A against a touring West Indian side.

Warne made his first-class cricket debut on 15 February 1991, for Victoria against Western Australia at Junction Oval in Melbourne. Warne captained Victoria in the 1999-00 season and was appointed again for the 2002-03 season. Over his career, Warne made 76 appearances for Victoria and claimed 161 first-class wickets at 34.72 and 43 List A wickets at 27.93. Warne signed a $400,000 contract to play for Hampshire County Cricket Club in England for the 2000 season. He returned to Hampshire as the captain for the seasons between 2004 and 2007. Warne made 139 total appearances for Hampshire. For Hampshire he scored his only two first-class centuries and took 276 wickets at an average of 25.58. He also claimed 120 wickets at 19.72.

Warne made his international debut on 2 January 1992 in the third Test match between Australia and India. Peter Taylor, the incumbent spinner in the Australian Test team, had taken only one wicket in the first two Tests, so Warne was brought into the team for the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Warne had played seven first-class matches before making his Test debut for Australia. He took 1/150 (Ravi Shastri caught by Dean Jones for 206) off 45 overs.

Australia toured Sri Lanka in mid-1992. Warne's poor form continued in the first innings against Sri Lanka at Colombo, however, Warne took the last three Sri Lankan wickets without conceding a run in the second innings, leading to a second-innings collapse and contributing to a 16-run Australian win. Despite his match-winning spell, Warne was left out of the second Sri Lanka Test before taking 0/40 in the third-and-final Test of the series.

Warne was recalled for the Second Test against the West Indies in Melbourne, a Boxing Day Test in which he took 7/52 in a match-winning performance in the second innings. In February and March 1993, Warne took 17 wickets at an average of 15.05 in Australia's tour of New Zealand, tying Danny Morrison as the top wicket-taker for the series. In March, Warne made his One Day International debut at Wellington, taking two wickets.

In 1993, Warne was selected for Australia's Ashes tour of England. Shane Warne was an unknown quantity when he arrived in England with the Australian side. Reports started circulating that there was a peroxide-blond, earring-wearing leggie who could turn the ball a mile, but many, to their peril, dismissed this as pre-Ashes hype. At the start of the tour, the press headed to Worcester for an early view of the tourists. Warne was taken apart by Graeme Hick - he hit him for two fours and a six in four deliveries - and finished with 1 for 122 in 23 overs. Although he took a couple of four-wicket hauls in the county matches and clearly posed a few problems for a generation unfamiliar to legspin, he was still not considered a match-winner.

His first ball of the series, at Old Trafford, is called the "Ball of the Century". Warne bowled experienced English batsman, Mike Gatting, with a ball that drifted through the air and then turned from well outside leg stump to clip the off bail. Warnie shuffled up: unprepossessing three or four-pace run-up, nice sideways position, right arm snapping over in an exciting whirl. As the ball looped down, Gatting first thought it was headed down the leg side - a harmless start. Gatting stretched forward slightly without quite getting to the pitch. The ball drifted even further down leg... and then it hit the turf. It fizzed back across Gatting - no mean feat - and clipped the top of off stump. Gatting looked completely shocked; the wicketkeeper, Ian Healy, was half-amazed, fully elated; the crowd gasped, gobsmacked. And Warne looked as if he'd planned it that way all along. It was the ball that did the most to revive the fading art of legspin, and truly the Ball of the Century. Warne claimed 34 wickets in his first Ashes series, leading all bowlers, at an average of 25.79. Australia won the six Test series 4–1 and launched Shane Warne as spin wizard.

When New Zealand toured Australia for three Tests in November and December, Warne took 18 wickets and was named Player of the Series as Australia won the three Test series 2–0. Warne took 72 Test wickets in 1993, a then-record for a spin bowler in a calendar year. Almost all of the 72 wickets were English and New Zealand batsmen. Warne featured in South Africa's tour of Australia in 1993/94 and Australia's return tour in March 1994. In the second Test of South Africa's tour at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Warne took ten wickets in a Test for the first time in his career. His 7/56 in the first innings and 5/72 in the second was not enough to secure victory for Australia; on the Test's final day, Warne was part of an Australian batting collapse and South Africa won the Test.

Warne joined the Australian tour of Pakistan in September and October 1994, where Pakistan defeated Australia 1–0 in the three Test series. Warne collected 18 wickets at an average of 28.00 to lead all bowlers for the tour. The tour became controversial, however, when it emerged in early 1995 that the Pakistani captain, Saleem Malik, had approached Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May to throw the game during the First Test. Malik was alleged to have offered Warne and May US$200,000 each to avoid taking wickets. The Australians did not accept the bribe, however Pakistan would narrowly win the game anyway, as Ian Healy missed a stumping down the leg side.

Australia sought to retain the Ashes when England toured for a five-Test series in 1994/95. Warne took a career-best 8/71 in the second innings of the first Test at Brisbane Cricket Ground (GABBA), before taking 27 wickets in the five-Test series. In the Second Test, a Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, he took his first and only Test hat-trick, dismissing tail-enders Phil DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm in successive balls, the last of which was caught by David Boon. Warne also took his 150th Test wicket, a caught-and-bowled off Alec Stewart. In the Third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, he and fellow tail-ender Tim May survived the final 19 overs in fading light on the fifth day to secure a draw and a 2–0 series lead, that meant Australia would take an unassailable lead in the series.

Later in 1995, Warne toured the West Indies, taking 15 wickets in four Tests as Australia defeated the West Indies in a Test series for the first time in almost 20 years. Without Damien Fleming and Craig McDermott, Warne partnered with an inexperienced Glenn McGrath, Paul Reiffel and Brendon Julian. In a series dominated by the ball, the Windies did not pass 300 runs in any innings. In the Australian summer of 1995/96, Australia played home series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Warne took 11 wickets in the first Test against Pakistan but broke his toe in the second.

The West Indies toured Australia for a five-Test series in the southern summer of 1996/97, which Australia won 3–2. Warne took 22 wickets in the series. In the One Day series, Warne collected his only ODI five-for, against the West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, cleaning up the middle-order and tail to finish with 5/33.

Warne took 11 wickets in Australia's three Test tour of South Africa which Australia won 2–1. In the northern summer of 1997, Warne returned to England with the Australian team to play for the Ashes. After struggling for form early in the tour, he turned in his best results for the series in the Third Test at Old Trafford where he would bag nine wickets. In the Fifth Test at Trent Bridge, Warne claimed seven wickets as Australia clinched the Ashes. Warne took 24 wickets through the series at an average of 24.04 and finished second to paceman Glenn McGrath in the wicket-taking. Australia won the six Test series 3–2.

In the Australian summer of 1997/98, Warne took 19 wickets in New Zealand's three-Test series in Australia and 20 wickets in three Tests against South Africa, in the second of which he took five wickets in the first innings and six in the second, becoming the second Australian after Dennis Lillee to take 300 Test wickets. In late 1997, Australian media criticised Warne for his weight; however, The Australian wrote he was one of Australia's three most-influential cricketers, the others being Donald Bradman and Lillee.

In early 1998, Warne was a member of Australia's touring squad of India. Finding Indian food not to his liking, he had Vegemite, tinned spaghetti, and baked beans flown in from Australia. Australia's two top pace bowlers Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie missed the tour due to injury, leaving Warne to bowl more overs than usual. He took 10 wickets but conceded 54 runs each, going for 0/147 in India's only innings of the second Test at Eden Gardens, Calcutta. Warne's dismissal of Rahul Dravid in the first innings of the final Test at Bangalore took him past Lance Gibbs' tally of 309 wickets, making Warne the most-successful spin bowler in Test Cricket. Australia lost the series, breaking a run of nine Test series wins.

Warne did not play international cricket in the later part of 1998, requiring shoulder reconstruction surgery. Warne missed Australia's tour of Pakistan and the first four Ashes Tests. During Warne's extended absence from the Australian team, his understudy Stuart MacGill played in his place, taking 15 wickets in three Tests against Pakistan and another series-high 27 wickets against England. Warne returned to international cricket in the fifth Test of the Ashes series in Australia in January 1999. Upon Warne's return, he and MacGill bowled in tandem to the team for the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where MacGill took twelve wickets and Warne, only two.

The 1998/99 Ashes series was the last series for Australian captain Mark Taylor, who retired. Steve Waugh was appointed as Taylor's replacement while Warne was promoted to vice-captain. In early 1999, Warne took two wickets in the first three Tests of the series against the West Indies, leading to calls for his removal from the team from Australian media. Warne had struggled for form since returning from his shoulder injury, and Stuart MacGill had outperformed him so far in the series. Warne's form recovered in the One Day International series against the West Indies, taking 13 wickets across seven matches.

Warne was selected to play in the 1999 World Cup in the United Kingdom. Australia were attempting to win their first Cricket World Cup since 1987. Warne took 12 wickets in the group and Super Six phases of the tournament. Australia qualified for a semi-final against South Africa at Edgbaston. The semi-final match became notable for the dramatic fashion in which it finished; with the match ending in a tie, and Australia advanced to the final on a countback. Warne dismissed key South African batsmen Gibbs, Gary Kirsten, Hansie Cronje and Jacques Kallis to finish with 4/29 for which he was named man of the match. Australia faced Pakistan in the tournament's final. Pakistan batted first and were all out for 132, as Warne took 4/33 and was named the man of the match. Australia comfortably reached the target to win the World Cup. Warne finished the World Cup with 20 wickets and was the tournament's joint-top wicket-taker.

The following Australian summer, Warne played in all Tests of the series against Pakistan and India. He reached his highest score with the bat in the first Test against Pakistan in Brisbane, with 86. Warne took 18 wickets over the six summer Tests and Australia won both series 3–0 to complete a perfect Test summer. Warne took another 15 wickets in Australia's tour of New Zealand in March 2000, as he assisted Australia to win the series 3–0. In the first Test of the series at Eden Park, Auckland, Warne surpassed Dennis Lillee's 355 wickets as Australia's leading-ever wicket-taker.

Warne missed the entire Australian summer of 2000/01 with a finger injury; he battled Stuart MacGill and an in-form Colin Miller to be selected for Australia's tour of India in early 2001. MacGill was ultimately left out of the squad. Warne took 10 wickets over the three-Test series at an average of 50.50; his Indian spin counterpart Harbhajan Singh was the man of the series after taking 32 wickets at an average of 17.03. Australia lost the series 2–1. In the English summer, Warne was selected for the 2001 Ashes, and took 31 wickets at 18.70 in the five-Test series, which Australia won 4–1. In the final Test at The Oval, Warne took 11 wickets across both innings, including Alec Stewart for the 400th career Test wicket. Warne became the sixth person and the first Australian in the history of cricket to reach 400 wickets.

In the 2001/02 Australian summer, Australia played home series against New Zealand and against South Africa. Warne took six wickets in three Tests against New Zealand, and in the third Test in Perth made his career's highest batting score in international cricket. He was caught at mid-wicket off the bowling of New Zealand's spin king Daniel Vettori, which later revealed to be a no-ball while on 99 runs - one run short of a maiden Test century. He took 17 wickets in the three Tests against South Africa, more than any other player, including 5/113 in the first innings of the first Test.

In October 2002, Australia played a three-Test series against Pakistan in neutral states Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates. Warne took 27 wickets, was named the Man of the Match in the First Test with 11 wickets, and again in the Third Test with eight wickets. Warne was also selected as the Player of the Series. He returned to Australia for the 2002/03 Ashes series against England, starting in November 2002. In the first Test, he scored 57 with the bat and took 14 wickets in the first three Tests of the series but suffered a shoulder injury in an ODI in December 2002. Warne would not play another Test for Australia until March 2004.

Warne returned to competitive cricket following his drug ban in February 2004. In March, in the first Test of a three-Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle, he became the second cricketer after Courtney Walsh to take 500 Test wickets. Warne took five wickets in each innings of the first and second Tests, and a further six wickets in the third Test, and was named the player of the series. On 15 October 2004, during the second Test of Australia's series against India at Chennai, he broke the record for most career wickets in Test cricket. Warne's dismissal of Irfan Pathan, who was caught at slip by Matthew Hayden, saw him overtake his Sri Lankan rival Muttiah Muralidaran with 533 wickets.

Warne took 11 wickets at 23.27 against the touring New Zealanders to start the 2004/05 home summer as Australia won the two-Test series 2–0. Warne led the wicket-taking of both sides, ahead of Daniel Vettori. Pakistan then toured, and Warne took 14 wickets at 28.71 as Australia completed a 3–0 sweep. Australia then embarked on a return tour of New Zealand where they won the three-Test series 2–0. Warne bowled his way to 17 wickets through the series at an average of 22 runs per wicket.

Warne started the 2005 Ashes with six wickets at Lord's, with Australia taking a 1–0 lead after defeating England by 239 runs. Warne claimed 10 wickets in the Second Test at Edgbaston, including six in the second innings. He also contributed 42 runs in the second innings, as Australia were defeated by just two runs. On 11 August 2005 in the Third Ashes Test at Old Trafford, Warne became the first bowler in history to take 600 Test wickets. In the same Test, Warne made 90 first innings runs, helping Australia avoid the follow-on and eventually draw the match. Warne again contributed with both bat and ball in the Fourth Test at Trent Bridge, taking eight wickets and scoring 45 runs in Australia's second innings, at faster than a run per ball. Warne's ferocious competitiveness was a feature of the 2005 Ashes series in which he took 40 wickets at an average of 19.92 and scored 249 runs. Warne shared the Ashes Player of the Series honours with England's Andrew Flintoff.

During the 2005-06 Australian home summer, Warne bowled impressively against the touring World XI, West Indies and South African teams. In the only Test against the World XI at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Warne took six wickets across both innings. Australia won the Test by 210 runs. Against the West Indies, Warne collected 16 wickets across three Tests, with a best innings performance of 6/80 at the Adelaide Oval. Warne also performed strongly against the touring South Africans, leading the Australian wicket-takers with 14 wickets at an average of 33.00. For his performances in 2005, the ICC named Warne in the World Test Team of the Year XI. In 2005, with 96 wickets, Warne broke the record for the number of wickets in a calendar year.

Warne toured South Africa with the Australian team for a three Test series in March–April 2006, taking 15 wickets. Warne took his series-best figures of 6/86 in Durban, assisting to bowl Australia to victory by 112 runs and claiming Man of the Match honours. Following this, he joined the Australian team for a two-Test series against Bangladesh, taking 11 wickets in the series, again paired with Stuart MacGill on spin-friendly pitches. Warne began the 2006/07 Ashes series with an indifferent Test performance in Brisbane and a poor performance in the first innings in Adelaide, where he took no wickets.

On 21 December 2006, Warne announced he would retire at the end of the 2006–07 Ashes series at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In his penultimate Test, he took his 700th Test wicket on 26 December 2006 by bowling English batsman Andrew Strauss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in his final appearance there. This was the first occasion a player had taken 700 Test wickets. The wicket was described as a "classic Warne dismissal", which the crowd of 89,155 gave a standing ovation. Warne finished Boxing Day with 5/39, his final Test five-for.

Warne's final Test was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, same venue as his first 15 years earlier. Warne ended England's first innings by trapping Monty Panesar leg before wicket for a duck and took his 1,000th international wicket. Warne also made 71 runs in his final innings. Warne's final Test wicket was that of England's all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who was stumped by Adam Gilchrist. Warne is one of only two bowlers to have taken more than 1,000 wickets in international cricket. After his retirement from international cricket, Warne was signed as the captain of Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2008, fetching US$450,000 in the pre-season player auction. Warne led the Royals to victory in the first season of the competition. He continued as captain of the Royals for a further four seasons; the 2011 season was his last with the franchise.

Warne is widely considered one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history. He revolutionised cricket with his mastery of leg spin, which many cricket followers had come to regard as a dying art due to the difficulty of accurately bowling the deliveries. Warne helped overturn the domination of cricket by fast bowling that had prevailed for twenty years before his debut. In the early 1970s, Australia's fast bowlers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson dominated cricket. From the early 1990s, with the West Indies in decline, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram of Pakistan were becoming the world's most-feared fast-bowling combination. In this context, Warne's bowling became significant. His dominance, particularly of English and South African batsmen, provided cricket audiences with an alternative skill.

Warne combined the ability to prodigiously turn the ball, even on unhelpful pitches, with regular accuracy and a variation of deliveries - notable among these is the flipper. Many of Warne's most spectacular performances occurred in Ashes series against England; in particular, the "Gatting Ball". Warne had struggled against India, particularly against Sachin Tendulkar; Warne's bowling average against India was 47.18 runs per wicket compared with his overall average of 25. Warne was a successful slip fielder; he made 125 catches - the 19th-most catches as a fielder in Test cricket history. After his retirement, Warne became a television cricket commentator.

Away from cricket, Warne was also known as a keen amateur golfer. In 2018, Warne hit a hole in one on the 16th hole at Augusta National Golf Club. Warne placed second in the 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship pro-am section. In August 2021, Warne contracted COVID-19 and was placed on a ventilator "to make sure there were no longer-lasting effects."

On 4 March 2022, at the age of 52, Warne died of a heart attack caused by atherosclerosis while holidaying on the island Ko Samui, Thailand. The autopsy at the time suggested the death was caused by a natural occurrence. Warne died on the same day as fellow Australian cricketer Rod Marsh, to whom Warne paid tribute on Twitter a few hours before his own death. On 30 March, Warne was publicly honoured at a state memorial event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.