Cricket: Shane Warne took a wicket in his final over as a professional cricketer as he led Rajasthan Royals to a 10-wicket Indian Premier League win over Mumbai Indians. The Royals were playing for pride in their final group game and it was Warne's compatriot Shane Watson who set the victory up by first claiming figures of three for 19 and then scoring 89 in just 47 balls.
Mumbai had lumbered to 133 thanks to skipper Sachin Tendulkar (31) and RohitSharma (58), but Watson’s superb effort alongside Rahul Dravid (43 off 32) took the visitors home in a mere 13.1 overs to give Warne a fitting send-off.
Warne said: “I’m 42 this year, I’m in a great place in life, both personally and the business point of view, I just want to thank everyone who supported me.”
The Royals lost the toss, but Watson made amends with a double strike in his first two overs.
Tendulkar then steadied Mumbai’s innings with his patient 31 — surviving two close lbw appeals — but was caught off Amit Singh’s bowling.
Sharma prodded the total to 100 in 16.1 overs, ably supported by Kieron Pollard (20) in the late surge before Watson bowled the latter, and Warne at last claimed a wicket by having Sharma stumped off the final over.
Watson then capitalised on some loose bowling from Mumbai to power Rajasthan to 52 in just six overs, with Dravid barely out of the blocks.
Among the frontline bowlers, even the fiery Lasith Malinga was not spared the barrage of boundary shots.
He went wicketless for 42 in his four overs as Watson reached 50 in 30 balls with Dravid eventually finding his scoring touch
It was the Australian, though, who finished with nine boundaries and half-a-dozen sixes, before Dravid hit the winning four off James Franklin.