Shane Warne: Remembering the Australian great’s finest moments in Birmingham

The death of Shane Warne left the cricketing world and beyond stunned but his legacy will undoubtedly live on – including some of his most memorable moments in Birmingham.

Warne’s death from a suspected heart attack in Thailand on Friday has led to millions of cricket fans looking back on his huge contribution to the sport – including some hilarious and mesmerising moments at Edgbaston.

Shane Warne, who died aged 52, took 708 wickets – the second most of all time - in 145 Tests across a stellar 15-year international career which ended in 2007.

Ten of those wickets came at Edgbaston in 2005 when England beat Australia by two runs in what is widely regarded as the greatest Test Match of all time.

With England closing in on a series-levelling victory late on day four of the second Test, the hosts’ off-spinner Ashley Giles was bowling to Warne, who was struck on the pad as he went to block a leg-side delivery.

Then England opening batsman and now interim managing director Sir Andrew Strauss recalls the time he unwisely got involved in some sledging with the man largely considered to be the greatest bowler ever seen.

Strauss said: “I thought, I’ve got to say something to him here, so I said ‘Come on Gilo, he’s really struggling against you here’.

After Warne stopped in his tracks, Strauss remembers how the conversation unfolded: “He said, ‘listen mate, there’s only person struggling round here – it’s you – you’re f***** s***!

“It’s pretty humiliating and you’re kind of hoping your team-mates back you up, but everyone was just not engaging in that conversation at all.

“There’s actually another bit to this story that I’ve never told before when Warne then said to me, ‘listen mate, you say another word to me and I’ll hit the next ball for six’, so I said ‘go on then, come on Gilo, he’s really struggling against you here…..bang, over square leg for six! (Warne then says) ‘You gonna say it again mate’?”

A ball never to be forgotten

Earlier in the same Test, Warne had already bowled one of the best deliveries ever seen to dismiss Strauss in England’s second innings.

Twelve years after the Ball of the Century which dismissed Mike Gatting, Warne bowled Strauss on his way to figures of 6-46 with a delivery which pitched way outside off-stump.

The ball then spun two-and-a-half feet across to bowl Strauss around his legs as he stepped across his crease.

A little like Gatting, the England batsman momentarily could not register what Warne had done to him before allowing a wry smile to himself as he walked off.

A great captain, but a shocking decision

Warne also created headlines a couple of years ago when he described his captain Ricky Ponting’s decision to bowl first at Edgbaston in 2005 as the “worst decision by any captain ever”.

England racked up 407 at more than five runs per over on day one - setting the stage for one of the greatest Test matches of all time which the hosts won by two runs.

However, Warne recalled on a Sky Sports Watchalong of the famous game: “This was a road and the ball did nothing, so Punter’s decision to bowl first was just the worst decision ever by any captain.

“The other thing about why that toss was so bad was, what’s so ridiculous is you just look at the pitch and the pitch was absolutely bone dry.

“I’d been playing a few years of county cricket and played at Edgbaston and the ball at Edgbaston absolutely turned miles. If you posted a big score first innings then it was going to be tough to bat last.

“Smash England in the first Test match, go 1-0 up, win the toss and bat first and have the psychological advantage of posting a big score and the wicket’s going to turn miles.

“It was the obvious thing to do even if it did a little bit in the first session.

“[If you] understand the game dynamics and the intensity of the series, you just had to bat no matter what the wicket was like to post a big score so that the last innings was going to be so difficult.

“It was just not an understanding of the game and the situation and what a big score in that first innings meant if you won the toss.”

Asked by former England star Kevin Pietersen why he didn’t step in to question Ponting’s tactics at the time, Warne replied: “You don’t think I did Kevin? On numerous occasions!

“And then (Glenn) McGrath went down and I said, ‘Is there any chance now’?”

Warne’s World Cup heroics

A 50-over World Cup clash against South Africa in 1999 at Edgbaston is also etched in cricketing history as a result of Warne’s exploits.

Australia, without a World Cup success since 1987, had only posted 213 in their innings before the Proteas responded by reaching 48 without loss.

Step forward Warne to completely destroy the South African batting. He removed Herschelle Gibbs and then Gary Kirsten in quick succession before taking care of captain Hansie Cronje.

After Jacques Kallis reached his half-century, Warne dismissed him at the crucial moment. Remarkably, South Africa were bowled out also for 213, with Australia advancing to the final because they finished higher in the Super Six stage - and even then only on nett run rate.

Hero Warne took four more wickets in the final to restrict Pakistan to just 132 - a total knocked off by the Aussies with eight wickets in hand as they were crowned world champions.

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