Date:22/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/22/stories/2006122202452100.htm

Sport - Cricket

The Warne timeline

Following are some of the important events in Shane Warne's career, listed chronologically.

1969: Born on Sept. 13 in Victoria State, near Melbourne.

1992: Makes his Test debut against India at the age of 22, finishing with overall figures of one for 228.

1993: Dismisses Mike Gatting in the Old Trafford Ashes Test with the `Ball of the Century', one that pitches outside leg-stump and goes on to clip the off-bail.

1994: Along with Mark Waugh, admits to providing match information to an Indian bookmaker. The ACB subsequently fines both.

1998: Undergoes a near career-threatening shoulder surgery.

1999: Takes Australia to a World Cup win, after his Man-of-the-match performance in the final against Pakistan.

2000: Upstages Dennis Lillee as Australia's highest wicket-taker in Tests, bettering his record of 355 wickets. He is also named as one of Wisden's `Five Cricketers of the Century'.

2003: After announcing that he would retire from ODIs after the World Cup, he fails a drugs test and is banned for 12 months on the eve of the tournament, for taking a banned diuretic.

2004: Becomes the highest wicket-taker in Tests, overtaking Muttiah Muralitharan, in India.

2006: With 699 Test victims, he announces his retirement from Test cricket after the end of the Ashes series, with Australia having regained the Ashes at Perth.

Career records:

Tests: Bowling: Matches: 143, Wickets: 699, Best bowling/innings: 8-71, Best bowling/match 12-128, Avg: 25.49, Econ: 2.65, S/R: 57.67. Batting: Innings: 197, Runs: 3,043, HS: 99, Avg: 16.81, S/R: 56.86, 50s: 11, 100s: 0. Fielding: Catches: 124.

ODIs: Bowling: Matches: 194, Wickets: 293, Best bowling: 5-33, Avg: 25.73, Econ: 4.25, S/R: 36.32. Batting: Innings: 107, Runs: 1,018, HS: 55, Avg: 13.05, S/R: 72.04, 50s:1, 100s: 0. Fielding: Catches: 80.