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Picture Credit: Twitter

Every cricket lover fondly remembers Shane Warne’s delivery to Mike Gatting that spun a long way from wide of leg stump to castle the batter’s off-stump. That visual stayed in fans’ memory for a long long time. Even three decades later, if anyone manages to produce any such magical delivery, it instantly gets compared with Warne’s delivery. 

Now, as Essex cricketer Simon Harmer produced one such magical delivery in the last match of County Championship Division one, the most common question is there yet again, is this the ball of the century? Well, an answer to this will be found after looking at how much it is similar to that Warne’s delivery to Gatting. 

To start with, Harmer is an off-spinner and not a leg-spinner. So, it becomes a bit difficult to judge, Nevertheless, the Essex spinner produced something special that left everyone stunned. Bowling to Will Young of Northamptonshire, Harmer bowled a fuller delivery that pitched wide of the off-stump. The batter who was preparing to shoulder-arm a half-volley sort of delivery came a long way to the offside, exposing his three stumps. The delivery turned miles to clip Young’s leg stump and leave him baffled. 

Watch the video here:

Although Harmer produced an absolute cracker of the ball, many would agree that it won’t come closer to Warne’s delivery to Gatting. That one had a lot of skill invested in it (this definitely does not mean that Harmer did not invest anything to produce such a magical ball).

Now coming back to Young’s dismissal, it triggered a downfall for Northamptonshire and they lost their next four wickets for just 4 runs. Chasing a target of 211, Northamptonshire were bowled out for 163 and lost the fixture by 47 runs. Harmer, who is enjoying a dream run in county cricket for the past many years, took a six-for in the innings. He scalped 1 wicket in the first innings and scalped 7 wickets in the fixture.