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When a young, brash, Australian leg spinner named Shane Warne arrived in England in the summer of 1993, few people had heard of him. Yet all that changed with his very first ball of the series…

We didn’t know a great deal about Shane Warne before that Ashes series of 1993. Obviously, anyone who gets into an Australian team is a decent player, but he’d only played in a handful of matches before then.

We’d watched some footage of his bowling in the West Indies and, actually, we were pretty confident that this guy wasn’t going to give us a great deal to worry about. He’d taken a couple of wickets over there, though obviously it was hard for us to tell what the wickets had been like. But just to look at his action and what he did with the ball – there was definitely nothing to concern us unduly.

For a start, his action was actually very straightforward. His googly looked pretty easy to read, though his flipper was quite impressive. And then it seemed like he had only two other deliveries – a leg break and a big leg break.

As for us as a team, we had come off a pretty tough tour of India and Sri Lanka the previous winter – and there had been a couple of changes in the team, particularly among the bowlers. I think that Old Trafford match was [Andy] Caddick’s first Test. And of course we knew that the Aussies were going to be pretty formidable, especially with the bat. Mark Taylor, Michael Slater, David Boon, the Waugh brothers and Allan Border – they were always going to put a lot of runs on the board.

Thinking back to when Warney came on to bowl, I was feeling quite confident. I’d not been at the crease too long, but I’d had a decent record against spin bowlers through my career; I prided myself on ‘picking’ them pretty well, so I was happy that this young guy wouldn’t give me too many problems. Peter Such had got a few wickets for us in the first innings, but it was still quite early in the match and there was no reason to expect what was coming.

The rest, of course, is history. When his first ball pitches a mile outside leg and takes the off bail, it’s just one of those things. I thought I had everything covered.

I’ve obviously seen the replay a few times over the years and, at the end of the day, any delivery that gets you out beats you. It’s just like any other – if a seamer gets one to move and you’re playing straight, you may get out. As for this one, I’m not sure what else I could have done. You think you’ve done everything right, but then you turn around and the bails have gone. I didn’t actually hear them come off, because the ball only just brushed the top. You can see from the look on my face how surprised I was.

That series was a good one for the Aussies – they really took it to us, and Warney got a lot of wickets that summer.

And, of course, he went on to become one of the greatest bowlers of all time, and he always loved Ashes matches. I’d go so far as to say that he’s the best spin bowler we’ve ever seen. Abdul Qadir was very good, and I never saw enough of Richie Benaud, but you only have to look at the amount of wickets Warney took – and the way he adapted his game over the years – to say he’s the best spinner ever.

There is something very special about the Ashes. Of course, it should be an honour to play for your country, be it England or Australia, against anyone, but I suppose that the Ashes have been going on for so long that they have taken on a special significance.

The rivalry has got pretty intense over time, and the Aussies are a very, very proud people who want to be recognised on the international stage – and, for them, cricket is a way of doing it. I’ve always enjoyed being involved in Ashes matches, and touring down there was great, especially when we were beating them. When you’re getting a hammering, it’s less fun – they do like to let you know about it.

THE TALE OF THE ASHES 1993

FIRST TEST
Old Trafford, June 3-7
Australia 289 & 432/5 dec,
England 210 & 332
Australia won by 179 runs

SECOND TEST
Lord’s, June 17-21
Australia 632/4 dec, England 205 & 365
Australia won by an innings and 62 runs

THIRD TEST
Trent Bridge, July 1-6
England 321 & 422/6 dec,
Australia 373 & 202/6
Match drawn

FOURTH TEST
Headingley, July 22-26
Australia 653/4 dec, England 200 & 305
Australia won by an innings and 148 runs

FIFTH TEST
Edgbaston, August 5-9
England 276 & 251, Australia 408 & 120/2
Australia won by 8 wickets

SIXTH TEST
The Oval, August 19-23
England 380 & 313, Australia 303 & 229
England won by 161 runs