Often, you will find recordings and tapes and highlights of some of the best moments in Test cricket history and if this moment isn’t a part of those highlights, then they’ve clearly got it all very wrong. We’re talking about Shane Keith Warne, one of the best bowler’s in cricket history, becoming the first person to reach the milestone of 700 Test wickets!
It was 26 December 2006 as Australia hosted England in the 4th Ashes Test and the setting couldn’t have been any better! Warnie walked out to play at the MCG one last time after he announced his retirement from Test cricket just the week before. At the time, he was running neck to neck with Muttiah Muralitharan in terms of number of wickets but he came into this game sitting at 699, all set to become a record breaker!
As described in his autobiography titled ‘No Spin’, Warne said he felt it when the ball was released from his hand that he had produced a ripper. In was the 47th over of the Test match and 89,000+ spectators were filled in the ground, waiting to witness this grand moment in cricketing history. Finally, it arrived. The time had come! Bowling from the southern end, Warne slipped one through the gates of Andrew Strauss and the rest is history!
SEE ALSO: List of bookmakers accepting bets from India
The crowd let out a deafening roar as Warnie decided to take a run around the ground, full of excitement and why not?! He just became the first person in the world to pick up 700 Test wicket and what a way to get to that 700th Test wicket too. Strauss was nothing but one of the best Test batsmen going around at the time and he deceived him with ease and well, grace. Take a look:
After he was done running around like a teenager, Warne decided to soak in all the applause and let his teammates wallop him in embraces. Warne had been a cricketing hero in Australia for years, with fans living through his milestones and achievements over the years. That day, he lifted the ball and acknowledged the roaring crowds in Melbourne!
He wasn’t done there either. He went on to run right through the English batting line up and picked up his 37th 5-wicket haul in Test cricket, finishing with 5/39. England was bowled out for 159 and after the hosts put up 400+, they bowled out England for 161 again and completed a win by an innings and 99 runs. Obviously, Warne was awarded the Man of the Match for his 7 wickets in that game.
SEE ALSO: List of fantasy sports websites in India
Warne finished with 23 wickets in 5 Tests and ended as the second highest wicket-taker of the series, only behind medium pacer Stuart Clark who bagged 26 scalps. Australia swept the 2006/07 Ashes at home 5-0 and it was the most fitting of goodbyes for Shane Warne, from this game that he lived his whole live until then. What a moment it was!
For similar throwback stories from the world of cricket, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
Register on 10Cric and get a whopping INR 10,000 first deposit bonus
