The veteran leg-spinner takes his record 700th Test wicket as England are bundled out for just 159.
The veteran leg-spinner takes his record 700th Test wicket as England are bundled out for just 159
Shane Warne said his final flourish as a Test great had turned out like a well-written script after claiming his 700th Test wicket on an astonishing opening day of the fourth Ashes cricket Test against England here on Tuesday.
The mercurial leg-spinner, who will finish a fantastic 15-year Test playing career at next week’s fifth Sydney Test, bowled England opener Andrew Strauss with a leg-break to become the first bowler to capture his 700th Test wicket. The 37-year-old Warne then added four more wickets to finish the England innings with 5-39 off 17.2 overs and swell his career tally to 704 wickets in his 144th Test match.
England were all out for 159 after winning the toss and Australia reached stumps at 48 for two in reply.
Warne has always produced his greatest performances on the biggest stage and Tuesday he was feted by an Ashes record crowd of 89,155 as he savoured one of the special days of his career.
“Whoever writes my scripts, he’s doing an unbelievable job,” Warne said. “I’ve been sitting there just shaking my head, not believing it actually happened, to be honest. It was a pretty amazing day. The way it’s all panned out, to retire and have two games left, end up coming to Melbourne on 699 Test wickets with the Ashes in the bag... there are some special days in your life and that’s definitely one of them.” Warne had to bide his time up until the 41st over of the innings as Australia’s pacemen revelled in the seaming conditions before getting his chance to make history.
Warne first struck with the second ball of his fourth over to trigger a huge roar from the near-capacity crowd. Strauss had reached his first half-century of the series but was befuddled by the delivery, which knocked over his middle stump. West Indian batting great Brian Lara, who had many batting duels with Warne, was at the MCG to watch Warne create history.
“He’s not only someone for Australian cricket, but someone for world cricket,” Lara told national radio. The Australian team surrounded Warne and individually congratulated him before captain Ricky Ponting gave him the ball to raise to the delighted home-town crowd in recognition of becoming the first bowler in Test history to pass 700 wickets. Warne went on to claim the wickets of Chris Read (3), Steve Harmison (7), Kevin Pietersen (21) and Monty Panesar s(4).
Scorecard
England (1st innings)
A Strauss b Warne 50, A Cook c Gilchrist b Lee 11, I Bell lbw b Clark 7, P Collingwood c Ponting b Lee 28, K Pietersen c Symonds b Warne 21, A Flintoff c Warne b Clark 13, C Read c Ponting b Warne 3, S Mahmood c Gilchrist b McGrath 0, S Harmison c Clarke b Warne 7, M Panesar c Symonds b Warne 4, M Hoggard not out 9
Extras (nb3, b3, lb1) 6
Total (all out; 74.2 overs) 159
Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-44, 3-101, 4-101, 5-122, 6-135, 7-136, 8-145, 9-146
Bowling: Lee 13-4-36-2, McGrath 20-8-37-1, Clark 17-6-27-2, Symonds 7-2-17-0, Warne 17.4-4-39-5
Australia (1st innings)
J Langer c Read b Flintoff 27, M Hayden not out 17, B Lee c Read b Flintoff 0, R Ponting not out 0
Extras (lb1, nb3) 4
Total (for two wickets; 11 overs) 48
Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-44
Bowling: Hoggard 6-2-27-0, Flintoff 5-2-20-2
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}