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Cricket’s consummate showman Shane Warne followed the oldest rule in the business on Monday. He left them wanting more.

When Warne bowled Monty Panesar to complete Australia’s 206-run win in the third Ashes Test against England at the WACA Ground, clinching its 3-0 series victory, he had his 699th Test wicket.

It was enough. The fact the Ashes were returning to Australia 15 months after they were lost to England gave Warne, his teammates and more than 12,000 people at the ground plenty to celebrate.

Warne’s 700th wicket was left for a more appropriate time and place and it now seems certain he will reach the historic mark, become the first player to do so, on his home ground in Melbourne where the fourth Test begins on Dec. 26.

“What an amazing remarkable milestone that will be,” Australian captain Ricky Ponting said. “Shane couldn’t even have scripted the whole thing any better. Being on 699 wickets going to Melbourne,” he remarked.

“I’m pretty sure he won’t be looking to do any sort of training whatsoever just in case he gets injured. It couldn’t have worked out any better for him,” he added.

“The crowd down there is going to be huge. There’s going to be hopefully 100,000 each day for four or five days. With Warney sitting on 699 wickets, I’m sure he’s going to be looking forward to it,” he expressed.

Warne took four wickets in England’s second innings and five in the match to move within one of an unprecedented 700th dismissal. His thoughts, however, were only for his team and their Ashes achievement. “It’s a pretty good feeling. It’s is bloody fantastic,” he said. “These are the things I’m going to miss because I’m closer to the end (of my career) than the bloody start. We deserved this. We earned it because we hurt after 2005,” he added.

Source:The News