It was a sad day in the history of cricket. On December 21, 2006, one of cricket’s all-time best, Shane Warne, announced his plans to retire from Test cricket after the ongoing Ashes series.

The blond-haired Australian maestro's departure from the international scene will end a remarkable 15-year career, which will always be cherished both at home and abroad.

Warne, like Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, has a huge fan base around the world. He revolutionised the art of leg-spin bowling with his huge armoury of deliveries which have left the best batsmen bamboozled at times. He made his international debut in the third Test against India in 1992. Although he started off poorly, he was endowed with immense talent and it was only time before he began decimating batting orders around the world.

He has scalped a staggering 700 wickets in143 Test matches, with 36 five-fors at an average of just over 25; a phenomenal achievement. During the 1970s and the 1980s, the world of cricket spiralled around fast bowling, which was what brought about the majority of the excitement. Warne changed that notion forever with his prodigious talent for spinning the ball into oblivion.

Before Australia lost the safe hands of Ian Healy to retirement, he and Warne made a deadly combination. They had an excellent co-ordination and many times wicketkeeper Healy positioned himself to receive stray deliveries from Warne that were meant to discombobulate the batsman.

Like any popular star, Warne was always surrounded by controversy and rumours. In 1998, he admitted to having taken money to provide details to a man who was linked to bookmakers. And in 2003, shortly before the commencement of the World Cup, he was sent home after failing a drug test. He pleaded ignorance, but was found guilty under the Australian Cricket Board’s drug code and banned for 12 months.