Of all the many thousands of balls Shane Warne ever bowled, there was none more famous than his introduction to Test cricket in England in 1993.

In a glittering career that brought Warne a Test hat-trick at the MCG, more than 700 Test wickets in total and more than 1,000 international dismissals overall, attention always returns to the ripping leg-break that spun from outside leg to clip off and leave Mike Gatting walking off in a daze. 

In the wake of Warne's death in Thailand at the age of 52, fans and players alike have spoken and written on social media about the ball that bamboozled the former England skipper and made a sporting rockstar of the young Aussie with the shock of blond hair.

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What of Warne's own memories? He spoke about his career with ABC's Tracey Holmes at the Chappell Foundation Inaugural Dinner in 2018, starting with THAT ball and the lead-up to that memorable moment:

"He [Gatting] missed a straight one, that's about it, really. But my first ball in the Ashes series, it was pretty special.

"I remember sitting with Merv Hughes on the plane and I asked him, 'What's an Ashes series actually like?'

"And I was expecting this wonderful answer, this spine-tingling stuff from Merv. And he said, "Put it this way, England are shit, we're sponsored by a beer company and there are rest days, so it's a great tour.'

"And I said, 'So that should be a pretty great series.'"

Warne recalled the team's first tour match after their arrival was against county side Worcestershire, with a line-up featuring star batsman Graeme Hick.

"Allan Border pulled me aside and he said, 'They've got this guy called Graeme Hick who's a terrific player, he's going to be playing a big part in the Ashes series – so make sure you don't bowl anything to him, just leg breaks. No flippers or wrong 'uns, or anything else, just leg breaks.'

"And I said sure, should be good enough [to get him out] anyway."