London: The British press heaped praise on Shane Warne after the Australia leg-spinner became the first bowler in Test history to capture 700 wickets during the first day's play of the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)  his home venue. 

Warne, who is set to retire from Test cricket and so end a fantastic 15-year international career at next week's fifth Sydney Test, bowled England opener Andrew Strauss with a leg-break to reach the milestone.
 

The 37-year-old Warne, contracted to play the next two English seasons with southern county Hampshire, then added four more wickets Tuesday to finish the England innings with five for 39 off 17.2 overs in a meagre total of 159 and swell his career tally to 704 wickets in his 144th Test match.

Wednesday's Daily Mirror tabloid led the plaudits, its match report stating, "Shane Warne put his own spin on a Christmas tale to reinforce his position as cricket's greatest ever bowler with a cracker of a Boxing Day performance."

"The man who is leaving international cricket following the Ashes produced a display to make fairy tales look dull and boring as he became the first man to take 700 Test wickets and then put Australia in control of the Fourth Test," he said

According to the Guardian, Warne's 700th wicket was so predictable, so pre-ordained, probably foreseen by Nostradamus, and as he made his way from the arena and up the players' tunnel he radiated the sheer pleasure at the lark of it all.
 

"This, as he reminds us often enough, is not just a supreme sportsman but a great entertainer who knows his moment," he said.

It came as no surprise, then, that The Times named Warne's dismissal of Strauss as both its 'Ball of the day' and its 'Magic moment'.

The Times also said"It is hard to think that he has ever had a much easier five-wicket haul or that England, against whom he has prospered from start to finish of his extraordinary journey in Test cricket, have ever been quite such willing accomplices to his peerless act," he said.

It was not alone in highlighting England's acquiescence in the face of Warne's bowling, the Daily Mail observing, "This was always going to be Shane Warne's party, but he could never have reckoned with England being such perfect, obliging guests."
 

"Perfect and obliging, that is, in a slightly pathetic, desperate-to-please way, as they gifted him not just a 700th Test wicket on his home ground farewell, but four more on a seamer's paradise at the MCG," he said.

The Sun tabloid, Britain's best-read daily, spoke in high tones of Warne's, "Shane Warne's script was written in glitter several days before this match began but he added a couple of extra pages for fun."

"With the uncrowned King of Melbourne in residence and 89,000 of his subjects there to hail him  even the Poms were offering standing ovations  Warne was always guaranteed to milk the occasion," he said.

"It was pure theatre. Pure magic. Pure history," he said.