'Ball of the century' was a fluke, admits Shane Warne
What's the story?
Australia's former leg-spinner Shane Warne recalled his 'ball of the century' from the 1993 Ashes on his birthday. The spinning great reflected upon the legendary delivery and revealed his thoughts about the same.
In a video shared by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Warne addressed the celebrated delivery as a 'fluke' and said, "The ball of the century was a fluke. It really was. I never did it again in the first ball of any time. So it really was a fluke and I think it was meant to be. As a leg-spinner, you always try to bowl a perfect leg-break every ball and I managed to do it first up which was pretty, like I said was a fluke really. It sort of changed my whole life really back on the field and off the field.
"It was one of those deliveries which all leg-spinners want to bowl and I am proud that I have bowled it, especially to someone like Mike Gatting who was a fantastic player and the best player of spin in the England team and he is a good guy too. So to do that first up here in England, it was a very special moment", he added.
In case you didn't know...
In the year 1993, the first Test of the Ashes witnessed an incredible moment when Warne dismissed Mike Gatting. After escaping from Warne's grip, the ball wafted away from the batsman and plunged right outside the leg-stump.
Right when Gatting was struggling to trace the line of the ball, it spun and sneaked its way back in to hit the off-stump. Gatting was trying hard to comprehend what had happened while the rest of the cricket world lauded the 'ball of the century'.
The details
Warne turned 48 this Wednesday and on the occasion, he chose to talk about the unforgettable moment. Also known as the 'Gatting ball', this iconic delivery is still widely considered as the ball of the century.
His figures from that match read 8/137 that explains how he demolished the English batting line-up. Australia won the first Test of the series by 179 runs while Warne was handed the Man-of-the-Match title.
The video
Author's take
Warne may think of his renowned delivery as a 'fluke' but it will remain iconic for the cricket lovers all across the globe. The manner in which the ball spun and hit the target was pure magic.
It was almost impossible to counter that because it would require a perfect reading of the line and length of the delivery that would enable the batsman to judge the ball before hitting it and Warne didn't grant enough time to Gatting to comprehend his strike.
Thus, the humble legend can refer to his masterpiece as a fluke but the world of cricket will forever attribute Warne with the brilliance of that incredible delivery... or as some may choose to call the 'ball of the century'.