Australian legend Shane Warne will be part of Sky Sports' esteemed commentary team for this summer's Ashes.
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| Shane Warne |
The leg-spinner bagged 708 Test victims in a prolific career, including 195 against England, but will now line-up alongside former rivals Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain when Sky Sports covers the five-Test series ball-by-ball.
"I can't wait to join the Sky Sports team," said Warne, who burst onto the Ashes scene by bowling Mike Gatting with the 'ball of the century' at Old Trafford in 1993. "I loved playing in the Ashes, I love watching cricket and I love talking about it. If I'm not playing, the best place to be is in the Sky Sports commentary box and I look forward to working alongside the guys throughout the series."
This year's Ashes will also be screened on Sky Sports HD, offering Sky+HD customers high definition images and Dolby 5.1 surround sound, while there will also be extended highlights each evening.
Warne was just 11 when the heroics of Ian Botham - now Sir Ian - inspired England to a famous victory at Headingley in 1981, a win that is etched into cricketing folklore.
Welcoming Warne onto the team, fellow Sky Sports commentator Sir Ian said: "Warney is special - full stop. It's going to be terrific for the viewers, and great for the commentators, to have him with us in the box for the Ashes.
"He has been a great friend over the years and I'm sure there'll be some good banter between us on-air. He has some really original thoughts and ideas on the game and he will bring another dimension to the Sky Sports coverage."
Warne, 39, played in eight Ashes series in total and ended up on the winning side seven times but he was unable to prevent Michael Vaughan's side reclaiming the urn in 2005 despite weighing in with 40 wickets at just 19.92 runs apiece.
The spinner gained swift revenge as part of the Australian side that whitewashed England 5-0 in 2006/07 - a series in which he became the first bowler in Test history to claim 700 wickets and also claimed the 1,000th scalp of his 15-year international career. As well as playing domestic cricket for his home state of Victoria, Warne captained Hampshire for three seasons after making his debut for the county in 2000.
After deciding to leave the Rose Bowl in 2008, Warne switched to the IPL and captained the Rajasthan Royals to victory in the inaugural year of the 20-over tournament.
- Cricket365
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