Cricket · 1993 · Manchester, England
The Ball of the Century
First ball of his first Ashes series in England, a 23-year-old Shane Warne turns one from outside leg stump to clip the top of off, and Mike Gatting is left standing there working it out.
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 him was Mike Gatting, a former England captain with a strong reputation against spin bowling.
The ball pitched well outside Gatting's leg stump, on a line that promised nothing at all, then spun sharply across the full width of the pitch to clip the top of off stump. Gatting stayed at the crease for several seconds afterwards, visibly working through what had just been done to him.
It was the 'Ball of the Century' before the day was out. Warne went on to a career that put him among the greatest spin bowlers and the most watched cricketers the sport has produced, and it opened with one delivery on English soil.
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