How the late Australian cricket legend Shane Warne reshaped Hampshire and made them contenders again. Shane Warne is credited with transforming Hampshire, and captained the club between 2004 and 2007. When Hampshire signed Shane Warne in 1999, for his first taste of English domestic cricket, it was the biggest signing in the club's history.

They were battling away in the County Championship and had not won anything for more than a decade - they were described in cricket circles as 'Happy Hampshire'. That did not deter them from an audacious bid to sign the Australia leg-spinner, who had arguably been the world's most dominant bowler of the decade and just led his country to World Cup glory.

A year on from Warne's tragic death journalist Robbie James has dedicated an audio documentary to one of the greatest cricketers of all time, and reflects on how he transformed Hampshire over his seven-year affiliation with the club. When Warne arrived at the south coast club in 2000 it is safe to say it was not the top-flight sports team it is now.

"We were bumbling along having some good days and having some bad days," former Hants chairman Brian Ford told BBC Radio Solent's Shane Warne: A Hampshire love story documentary. "The team needed a lot doing to it but we didn't have much money - we were doing what we could with what we had." Hampshire did have England batter Robin Smith, nicknamed 'The Judge', who was friendly with Warne and knew he was interested in coming to play in England.

In 1999 - with 30-year-old Warne having taken 300 Test wickets and more than 200 in one-day internationals - the club board made contact with his agents to thrash out a deal. "We couldn't talk to Shane himself who directed us back to his agents and we thought we were in danger of losing him," Ford added. So in a last-ditch attempt to get Warne's signature and break the deadlock, he decided to corner the global star at a cricket reception - inside Buckingham Palace.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP