Gatting's Disbelief — Ball of the Century, 1993

Shane Warne arrived at Old Trafford in June 1993 with a significant reputation in Australia but as a relative unknown to English audiences. He had taken wickets in Australia and in one previous overseas tour, but the Ashes represented his first genuine test on turning English pitches against a batting lineup that included seasoned players of spin.

Mike Gatting was one of the most respected batsmen in England — a prolific scorer against spin bowling who had played Test cricket throughout the 1980s. His technique against slow bowling was considered sound, built on the use of his pads as a second line of defence and a strong sweep shot that neutralised turning deliveries.

English summers in the early 1990s had produced pitches that generally favoured pace bowling over spin, and leg spin in particular had virtually disappeared from first-class cricket in England. Umpires, batsmen, and coaches had no framework for dealing with the kind of prodigious turn that Warne would deliver.

The first Test at Old Trafford was played on a pitch that offered some variable bounce and turn — conditions that would prove ideal for Warne. Australia had batted first and posted a competitive total, leaving England to negotiate a period before the close of play.

Gatting came to the crease in the normal run of play. Warne, despite his reputation, had not yet bowled in this Ashes series. His captain Allan Border brought him on and the cricketing world waited. Television cameras, instinctively perhaps, captured every detail of the delivery that followed.

Warne stood at his mark, took his short run-up, and released the ball. What it did next would be seen by millions of viewers in the following days, weeks, and years.

Shane Warne's first ball in Ashes cricket is called the "Ball of the Century" — a leg break that pitched well outside leg stump and spun back viciously to hit the top of off stump. Mike Gatting stood in disbelief, looking at the pitch as if it had betrayed him.

The delivery was not an umpiring controversy in the traditional sense — the ball clearly bowled Gatting. But Gatting's reaction and subsequent confusion about what had happened captured the essence of the umpiring challenge that Warne would present throughout his career.

Umpires struggled to adjudicate LBW appeals from Warne because his deliveries turned so prodigiously and unpredictably. Throughout his career, Warne felt he was denied numerous LBW decisions because umpires simply could not believe the ball would turn as much as it did.

The Ball of the Century announced the arrival of a bowler who would challenge every assumption umpires had about what was possible in cricket. Warne would go on to take 708 Test wickets, and his battles with umpires over LBW decisions became a recurring theme.

“I had absolutely no idea what happened. I still don't. I just know the off stump was on the floor.”

“I bowled it and thought: that's a good ball. I didn't realise quite what it would mean.”

“There have been other great deliveries in cricket. But none that announced the arrival of genius quite like that one.”

“That ball changed cricket. It brought leg spin back from the dead and made umpiring a completely different challenge.”

The immediate aftermath of the delivery was as memorable as the ball itself. Gatting stood stock-still, looking at the pitch, then at the stumps, then back at the pitch — appearing to search for some explanation for what had happened. Finally he walked off, still wearing the expression of a man who could not accept the evidence of his senses.

Warne took 4 wickets in the innings and 8 in the match. England were beaten comprehensively. More significantly, the Ball of the Century was replayed on every cricket broadcast around the world, announcing Warne to an international audience in the most dramatic fashion possible.

Australian captain Allan Border was reported to have said simply: "I think we've got something here." The English cricket establishment spent the remainder of 1993 and several years afterward trying to find an answer to Warne — and largely failing.