Shane Warne: The great who revived a fading art and inspired future leg spinners

Richie Benaud, who passed away in 2015, credited Shane Warne with reviving the art of spin bowling, particularly leg spin, after an era dominated by fast bowlers. During the 1970s and '80s, Australia had Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson; England possessed Ian Botham and Bob Willis; India had Kapil Dev; Pakistan saw the rise of Imran Khan; New Zealand had Richard Hadlee; and West Indies boasted Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Colin Croft and Malcolm Marshall.

Read AlsoLegendary Australian spinner Shane Warne dies of ‘suspected heart attack’

Australia cricket legend and one of the greatest leg-spinners of all-time, Shane Warne, died, aged 52, on Friday after a suspected heart attack in Thailand. Warne is regarded as one of the finest leg-spin bowlers of all time after a career in which he took 708 Test wickets in a career which spanned

Fast bowlers were ruling the game. Spin bowling, particularly the art of leg spin, seemed a dying art - more so outside the Indian subcontinent where pitches suited fast bowling and spinners rarely got assistance from the track. "Warney", as Warne was referred to by cricket fans and players, resurrected the art of leg spin and added glamour and flamboyance to it.

Read AlsoShane Warne's Midas touch won underdogs Rajasthan Royals inaugural IPL title

When the Indian Premier League (IPL) was launched in 2008, nobody expected a semi-retired 37-year-old Shane Warne to lead a Rajasthan Royals side built on a shoestring budget to win one of the most lucrative tournaments in the world.

"He breathed new life into cricket by reinventing its most subtle art", ESPN said in its 'Legends of Cricket' segment when introducing Warne, while also describing the Australian leg-spinner as the "greatest