SK Warne of Australia

Full Name:

Shane Keith Warne

DoB:

Saturday, September 13, 1969

Birthplace:

Upper Ferntree Gully

Teams:

Victroria

Test Debut:

v India at Sydney, 1992

ODI Debut:

v New Zealand at Wellington (Basin Reserve), 1993

Bats:

RH

Bowls:

Leg break

Player Record:

link to stats

Shane Warne may not be quite the bowler he once was, but he is still the most important part of the Australian attack along with Glenn McGrath.

In the two three-match Test series prior to the Ashes, against Pakistan at home and New Zealand away, Warne took 31 wickets. In the same period McGrath took 36 wickets, giving them a combined tally of 67 victims.

All of which means that England must tame at least one of these two great, but ageing bowlers to win back the Ashes. With McGrath still at the peak of his game, it seems more likely that they will have some success against Warne.

The greatest legspinner since Australia's Bill O'Reilly still bowls an exquisite leg-break and has not lost that supreme control which makes him unique in Test history for bowlers of his type.

But, unlike fellow leggie Stuart MacGill, he no longer bowls the googly and his flipper is less potent than it used to be. If England can face down his outrageous swaggering self-belief they really could prevent him from working his accustomed magic.

Warne has taken a world record tally of 583 wickets in 123 Tests and is justifiably considered the greatest spin bowler in all Test history. But his performances in county cricket before the Ashes were not suggestive of the potency of old and he also has to cope with his well-publicised marital break-up.

Warne is the greatest and most accurate legspinner of all time, but this is going to be a tough series because he's not getting any younger and he's got big personal issues to contend with.

Like him, I went through a separation in 2001, so I know from personal experience what a tough time he's going through and what a real test this is of what he's about.

He's also not the bowler he was in his prime because he no longer has all the old variations. He doesn't bowl the googly any more and his flipper is less effective than it was. To a certain extent he's been relying on his reputation to intimidate sides, but I don't think England will fall for that because they are up for the challenge.

What he does still have are his amazing accuracy, a big-spinning legspinner and bags of experience and front. He has also not lost his total self-belief, so I think we will see him bowl well and have a good series.