Warne is a man not so much touched by genius as smothered in hugs and kisses, but a razor cricketing intelligence has not always proved transferable to the outside world.

The result has been a dazzling career blighted by off-field scandal but whatever unbelievable storyline has been running on this most extraordinary of shows, the man who once described his life as a soap opera has never been anything but compelling viewing.

Fifteen years ago, before the Australian top five established a new order for Test batsmanship or Adam Gilchrist redefined the position of wicketkeeper, it was widely agreed that leg spin was a lost art.

Traditionalists had given up hope that the predominant fast bowlers might again be brought to heel by guile and deception but they found an unlikely hero in a chubby, cocksure 22-year-old who made his debut against New Zealand in 1992.

Warne had already played 11 Tests before making his Ashes bow at Old Trafford the following year but his first-ever delivery may as well have been that ball which pitched outside leg before jagging across to brush off, clean bowling an astounded Mike Gatting.

He has been a nemesis for England ever since, claiming 132 Ashes dismissals en route to becoming the first spinner to 500 Test wickets in a career which has truly scaled the heights and plumbed the depths.

A magnificent cricketing brain has allowed him to take wickets in all conditions and against all opponents, though desperate mudslingers can point to his blind spot for India.

Warne's secret has been a consummate understanding of his armoury, changing flight, angle of delivery, pitch and speed while spinning the ball prodigiously in every direction.

He is one of the best two spinners ever to play the game and for good measure has racked up 2500 runs without scoring a century while earning a reputation as the best captain Australia never had.

Yet he has rarely been a serious contender for that role after almost endless controversy, the most serious offence resulting in a 12-month ban in 2003-4 after a positive drugs test.

No matter what the truth behind the man's transgressions, however, there is no room for argument on the subject of his achievements.

Warne was voted one of the five cricketers of the 20th century and he will surely be in the frame to retain his place in 95 years' time after recovering from the enforced lay-off with his bowling in an ominous new era of controlled simplicity.

That he has returned from the ban better than ever, learning to work with rather than against his body as the years advance, is a testament to a great cricketer.

Whatever else he is or is not, Warne will always be just that.