Cricket · 1993 · Manchester, England
The Ball of the Century
On his first delivery in Ashes cricket in England, a 23-year-old Shane Warne spins a leg break so sharply that it turns from well outside leg stump to clip the top of off, bowling a bemused Mike Gatting.
Mike Gatting, bowled
Batsman dismissed
23
Warne's age
1st of the series
Warne's ball in the match
Shane Warne had played only a handful of Test matches when he came on to bowl his first delivery of the 1993 Ashes series at Old Trafford, facing former England captain Mike Gatting, a batsman with a strong reputation against spin bowling.
The ball pitched well outside Gatting's leg stump, a line that suggested nothing threatening, then spun sharply across the full width of the pitch to clip the top of off stump, bowling Gatting, who stood at the crease for several seconds afterward, visibly struggling to process what had just happened to him.
The delivery was instantly nicknamed the 'Ball of the Century' and announced Warne as a genuine international star from his very first ball on English soil, launching a career that would establish him as one of the greatest spin bowlers, and one of the most watched cricketers, the sport has produced.
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