Written by Kendall Conners
Shane Warne’s devious and charismatic ways have often landed him on the front page of tabloid news, but despite his highly-publicised personal life, he is arguably one of the greatest cricket players Australia has ever seen.
“I suppose my look, the way I play - you combine all that sort of stuff and that makes people interested in what I actually do. So then, when off-the-field stuff happens... I suppose it’s one of those cocktail mixes,” Warne has said.
Throughout his career, Warne has not only left his mark on Australian cricket history as one of the greatest and most alluring players of all time, but has also built a worldwide brand for himself – landing top-dollar endorsements and even starting his own charity.
Ever since his first match in 1991 – when he played for Victoria at the Melbourne Junction Oval – Shane Warne has taken the cricket world by storm. Warne, who has taken part in 145 Test matches in his career, was one of the greatest and most respected leg spin bowlers of all time. He took the art of leg spin bowling, which was thought to be going extinct, and brought it back to life.
SEE TOP STORIES FROM THE WDM CONTENT NETWORK
* Business Celebs: Adam Scott
* Australia's Richest Celebrities and Athletes
* Michael Clarke: Cricket Extraordinaire
* READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF BUSINESS REVIEW AUSTRALIA!
During his career, Warne won countless awards, including the Man-of-the-Match prize in a World Cup final, and was also the first cricketer to reach 700 Test wickets. Warne also received countless accolades – he was selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1994, One-Day International Player of the Year in 2000, Test Player of the Year in 2006 and was also selected as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century in 2000. Needless to say, Warne made a lasting impression on the world of cricket.
And although he has since retired and ended his career on the field, Shane Warne maintains an active role in the cricket community as ambassador for Cricket Australia. But it’s his lucrative endorsements, ‘womanising’ ways (Warne was caught in a slew of extramarital and ‘sexting’ scandals) and high-profile love affairs that have kept him in the public eye.
One of his most popular endorsements is with 888Poker, where he acts as a representative attending various poker events, including the 888 UK Poker Open, the Crown Casino Aussie Millions and the World Series of Poker (WSOP). During his career he also had many high-end endorsements with companies such as Pepsi, Messages On Hold and Advanced Hair.
In addition to his endorsements, Warne also started his own charity, The Shane Warne Foundation (TWSF), which raises funds to help enrich the lives of seriously ill or underprivileged children and teenagers throughout Australia.
But it’s his latest love affair with British model Elizabeth Hurley that has stirred up media attention most recently. Since shacking up with Hurley, Warne has completely changed his look, dropped some serious weight, been accused of wearing eyeliner and even lambasted for being allegedly being addicted to a diet shake.
But scrutiny and scandals aside, Shane Warne undoubtedly made a lasting impact on Australian cricket and will go down in history as one of the greatest players to ever grace the field.
Business Review Australia is now available on the iPad! Click here to download it.
