SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 04: Shane Warne of Australia bows to the crowd at the end of day three of the fifth Ashes Test Match between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
In March, the cricketing world lost an icon in Shane Warne at only 52 years of age. A career spanning 15 years from 1992 to 2007, Warne tormented, foxed, and outthought batsmen with astounding relentlessness en route to becoming the greatest spinner in cricket.
Overall, Warne represented Australia in 145 tests, taking 708 wickets at an average of 25.42, including 37 five-wicket hauls and 48 four-wicket hauls.
Whilst his career at Test level is the one people marvel the most, he also had a terrific One-Day career. Playing 194 matches and taking 293 wickets, he was an integral part of the side, including the victorious 1999 World Cup where he took 4/33 in the final against Pakistan.
All his incredible achievements would lead to his induction into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
Here are five dazzling moments in Shane Warne's glorious career.
Yes, the ball that still gets a runaround in cricket conversations. Dubbed "The Ball of the Century", Shane Warne's bamboozler to seasoned batsman Mike Gatting is arguably the greatest delivery ever in the game's history. To make the moment more spectacular is the fact it would be his maiden ball on English soil.
Tossing the ball between middle and leg, Gatting was sure he would comfortably defend the ball back to Warne. Only then for the sudden realisation of the ball spinning past his outside edge and clattering onto the stumps. After his dismissal, Gatting looked down the pitch in absolute disbelief not knowing what had just occurred.
Even the English couldn't believe their eyes. You could hear a pin drop inside Old Trafford.
In an interview with cricket.com.au in 2013, Warne credited captain Allan Border in keeping faith in him despite not yielding the results.
Gatting, one of the greatest batsmen against spin bowling said the team hadn't seen much of Warne, apart from a couple of tests against India and the West Indies. The moment would be a career changer for Warne, finishing the series with 34 wickets in Australia's 4-1 series win, whilst beginning his torment on England for the next 14 years.
Being part of the hat-trick club is a celebratory moment which is rare. Only 46 players in the history of test cricket belong in this feat.
And one of them is Shane Warne.
Already with his confidence sky-high from the maiden English tour a year earlier and taking a career-best 8/71 in Australia's dominant 184-run victory in the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane, the stage would be set for another Warne encore.
On the cusp of another commanding outcome and England hanging on tenterhooks after wrecker-in-chief Craig McDermott ripped through the English top and middle order, it would be Warne's turn.
Playing in front of his home crowd on a pristine day, the stage was set.
Warne began first with a lovely top-spinner to Phil Defreitas who completely misread the delivery for a flipper only to be completely stuck to the crease, and in the process given out LBW.
Warne's second delivery was another corker. After using the top spinner he went to use the traditional leg spinner. The new batsman in Darren Gough, who took a major stride in with his front foot, thought he had safely defended the ball, only then to see it turn away ever so slightly to hit his outside edge and land into the gloves of wicketkeeper Ian Healy.
Now with the crowd right behind him, the moment had come.
Pitching it on middle, the ball looking as though it would go straight quickly reared up on Devon Malcolm who took a tentative half stride forward only to edge it onto his pad and see David Boon at back pad take an outstanding reflex catch with his right hand.
Joining elite company, Warne had become the seventh Australian bowler to take a hat-trick. Other Australian bowlers include Fredrick Spofforth, Hugh Trumble, Jimmy Matthews, Linsday Kline, Merv Hughes, and Damien Fleming.
Since then, Glenn McGrath and Peter Siddle are the only two Australians in the last 22 years to take a hat-trick at Test level. To this day, Warne is one of two bowlers to take a hat-trick at the MCG.
Warne went on to finish with 27 wickets in the series at 20.33, including two five-wicket hauls, finishing second behind Craig McDermott (32 wickets).
1999 was a difficult year for the leg-spinning maestro. Warne had undergone shoulder surgery in May 1998, making his return for the fifth and final Ashes Test in January. He then found himself on the outer for the fourth and final Test against the West Indies in Antigua in favour of Stuart MacGill.
The decision didn't sit well with Warne, who arguably had the worst series of his illustrious career taking two wickets at an average of 134.
Fast forward two and half months later, and this time Warne would return to his vintage best. And it would be on cricket's grandest stage: the World Cup Final where Warne would make his comeback complete. In dominating performances against Scotland, West Indies, and South Africa in the epic semi-final, Warne left his best for last.
Pakistan, who had gone through an up-and-down campaign, stood in Warne and Australia's way after dismantling New Zealand by nine wickets in the other semi-final. Little would Pakistan know the rain which affected the pitch and the decision to bat first became a disaster.
And with Warne, it further compounded Pakistan's woes.
After laying a solid platform at 2/68 in the 19th over, Warne's introduction brought about a Pakistan collapse. Beginning the rot, Warne delivered an excellent leg-spinner to Ijaz Ahmed who played all around the ball only to hear the death rattle of his stumps falling over.
His second scalp in Moin Khan had him fishing for the ball outside off-stump, nicking it straight to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. A young Shahid Afridi took the fight to Warne hitting him for two boundaries, but Warne got his man trapping him LBW looking to sweep towards the fine leg boundary.
By now, Pakistan's hopes of posting a competitive total were dashed, with Warne adding one final nail in the coffin. Skipper Wasim Akram looking to slog Warne out of the park, could only observe his shot fall seamlessly straight to Australian Captain Steve Waugh, thus completing his spinning mastery.
Warne's figures of 4/33 from 9 overs changed the outcome of the final, as he went to be named man of the match. Overall, Warne would finish the tournament with the equal-most wickets (20) alongside New Zealand left-arm fast bowler Geoff Allott.
During the course of his time playing England in their own backyard, Shane Warne had supreme success in English conditions. And this series would be no exception.
Coming off 31 wickets in the 2001 series at an average of 18.71, Warne was ready to create havoc even at 35 years of age. Despite critics saying he wasn't the same bowler who underwent surgeries to repair his shoulder, Warne emphatically laid those to rest.
Just like in his maiden tour in 1993, announcing himself on the world stage with the "ball of the century", Warne hadn't lost any of his finesse. One in leaving the English batsmen in a spin.
From trapping Ian Bell with a slider which he didn't have a clue about, to bowling opener Andrew Strauss around his legs, as he had done countless times, England were left feeling dizzy by Warne's magic. Whenever captain Ricky Ponting was in need of a breakthrough, throw the ball to Warne and let him do the rest.
From bowling performances of 6/46 in the second Test at Edgbaston, claiming his 600th test wicket to taking a combined 12 wickets in the fifth and final test at The Oval, Warne continuously weaved his magic.
Warne is only one of three Australian bowlers to take 40 or more wickets in an Ashes series joining fast bowlers Terry Alderman (1981, 1989) and Rodney Hogg (1978/79). Making it more astounding is the fact Warne took twice as many wickets as the next Australian bowler Brett Lee (20 wickets) and 16 more than England's series leader Andrew Flintoff (24 wickets).
Warne's 2005 arguably is the greatest ever by a bowler, finishing the calendar year with 96 scalps at an average of 22.02 - the most in the history of test cricket.
What a moment it would be.
With the Ashes already regained and needing only one more wicket to become the first-ever bowler to take 700 test wickets, the stage would be ideal. Fittingly, it would be at Warne's home: the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
For 15 years, he had made a mockery of every single batsman, no more so than the English. On a cloudy Melbourne day, the crowd waiting eagerly for the introduction of the King of Spin would get their wish as England were looking solid at 2/101.
Andrew Strauss, in particular, was having a say after reaching his half-century. It would be time for Warne's moment.
Applying the ball outside off-stump, Strauss looking to heave Warne over the mid-wicket boundary, then within a second it spun back towards him going straight through and clattering onto the stumps.
Within a space of a few seconds, the crowd erupted with Warne running around like an energizer bunny as his teammates couldn't catch him.
An incredible feat on Boxing Day and yet another memorable moment for many.
Warne went on to take a five wicket-haul in England's first innings as Australia cruised to victory by an innings and 99 runs on route to an Ashes annihilation sweep.