Shane Warne remembers the delivery that changed his career

While he turns 47, Shane Warne has decided to wind the clock back to the time when he was the new ‘blonde’ on the block. Among the 619 Test wickets Warne has taken in his career, it has not alway been bells and whistles in his career.

Some of the lower points in Warne’s career include the fact that he was tested positive for banned substances in 2003 and failed to clinch the Ashes on two separate occasions in spite of being the highest wicket-taker on both occasions.

However, there is one thing everyone remembers about Shane Warne. His ‘ball of the century’ that bamboozled Mike Gatting is something that has been played time and again. However, as far as Warne is concerned, that was not the delivery that changed his career.

Speaking at his birthday bash in Melbourne, Warne said that the delivery he bowled to West Indies skipper Richie Richardson was the one that perhaps the one that changed his career.

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“So it got to the last day, they were cruising again the West Indies. And I was sort of being written off by a lot of people saying ‘this guy’s no good, he can’t deliver’,” Warne said.

“I then bowled a flipper, probably one of the best flippers I’ve ever bowled, to Richie Richardson just on the break again and bowled him. The West Indies just thought it was a bad ball that ran along the ground. Not too many people in the early ‘90s had seen a flipper, a lot of these guys were just so used to fast bowling.”

Warne went on to conclude with figures of 7/52 on the day. “That day I went on to take 7-52 and that sort of made me believe that if I bowled well enough at Test level I’m good enough.”

“You just don’t want to embarrass yourself when you first start. But then over a period of time you want to prove that you’re good enough. And once you realize you’re good enough and not playing for your spot, you’ve got a bit more leniency, there’s not as much pressure on you.”

“From that day on I was pretty lucky for the next 15 or so years after that I could go out and bowl what I wanted to do and there weren’t too many bad days after that,” said Warne.

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