Factbox on Australia leg spinner Shane Warne after he became the first man to take 600 Test wickets during the third Ashes test against England at Old Trafford on Thursday:
Born: 13 Sept 1969, Melbourne.
Test debut: v India, Sydney, 1992. 126 matches, 600 wickets, bowling average 25.24 (before Old Trafford Test).
Best bowling: 8-71. Has also taken 293 wickets in 194 one-day internationals.
One of five players named as Wisden's cricketers of the 20th century. Credited for revitalising the art of leg spin after an era dominated by pace bowlers.
Has huge hands and ability to impart enormous spin on leg-breaks with unusual accuracy. Fast-tracked into Test cricket, aged 22. On Test debut v India in 1992 took 1-150 (his first victim was Ravi Shastri, but only after he had made a double century) followed by 0-78 in second Test and was dropped.
1993: Bowled England's Mike Gatting with his first ball in Ashes cricket in 1993 with the "Ball of the Century".
1998: Had operation on career-threatening shoulder injury, followed by finger surgery.
1999: Relaunched his career at World Cup with 20 wickets and won man-of-the-match award in both the semi-final against South Africa and final against Pakistan.
Involved in two major controversies when claimed he was offered a bribe by Pakistan player Salim Malik to throw a Test in Pakistan in 1994. Later admitted receiving money from a bookmaker in Sri Lanka but said it was a gift, not a bribe. Fined and reprimanded by the Australian Cricket Board over the incident.
FITNESS REGIME
2002: Shed 14kgs as part of a fitness regime. Injured shoulder playing in a one-dayer against England in Melbourne in December and was sidelined for a month, missing the last two Tests of the Ashes series which Australia won 4-1.
2003: Announced in January he would retire from one-day cricket following World Cup. After travelling to South Africa it was announced he had tested positive for a banned diuretic. He claimed had taken it in a slimming pill given to him by his mother. Banned from all cricket for 12 months.
2004: Rushed back into the Test side after one first-class match, making comeback in March in Test series in Sri Lanka. Took 26 wickets in three games to help Australia to a clean sweep. Muttiah Muralitharan beat him to Courtney Walsh's world record of 519 Test wickets but Warne overhauled the Sri Lankan later in the year.
2005: Split with his wife after media reports about his private life. The couple have three children. Became the first man to take 100 Test wickets outside his own country during the Ashes. At Old Trafford, becomes the first man to make to take 600 Test wickets when dismissing England's Marcus Trescothick for 63 in the third Ashes Test.
