Lancashire Cricket celebrates Shane Warne and his iconic Ball of the Century 30 years on
Shane Warne bowled his very first Ashes delivery just before lunch on the second day of the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford in 1993. The rest, as they say, is history…
Warne’s iconic ball pitched outside leg stump before spinning viciously past Mike Gatting’s outside edge clipping the off stump. It’s an iconic moment forever etched in the history of the sport.
To celebrate the anniversary, Lancashire Cricket has today unveiled a giant art installation commemorating the moment which shows a beaming Warne and a bemused Mike Gatting in the immediate aftermath of what became to be known as the Ball of the Century.
The artwork is visible on the side of The Pavilion towards The Point and is expected to be seen and appreciated by thousands of fans during this week’s fourth Ashes Test Match.
Commenting on the tribute, Lancashire Cricket CEO, Daniel Gidney, said: “The Ashes history at Emirates Old Trafford is huge. We've been playing Ashes cricket for over 100 years here and had so many iconic moments along the way.
“The most iconic moment, of course, is Shane Warne’s ball of the century. 30 years on, we are remembering what an amazing player he was and recognising that he will always play an incredible part in the rich Ashes history we have at this ground. There will never be another Shane Warne and for us to have that memory embedded here in Manchester forever is really special.
“Hopefully, we'll have some younger fans here this week, seeing the artwork and their parents or grandparents will be telling them the story [of the Ball of the Century]. Test cricket in iconic venues like Emirates Old Trafford is about storytelling and that is one of the best stories that we've ever told.”