Hampshire County Cricket Club begun on Hampshire's long-awaited new ground. The realisation of this move almost led the club to financial ruin, as encouragement from financial partners Sport England and the hiring of architect Sir Michael Hopkins had led the then part-time voluntary committee running the club to lose control of the budget. In 2000 Australian great Shane Warne was signed as the club's overseas player. The 2000 County Championship was to be the last season that Hampshire would play at the County Ground Southampton before they moved in 2001 to the new Rose Bowl ground just outside Southampton. 2001 also saw current club
Shane Warne second Australian after Dennis Lillee to take 300 Test wickets. At the beginning of the summer, the Australian media had criticised Warne for his weight; now, "The Australian" wrote that he was one of Australia's three most "influential" cricketers (with Donald Bradman and Dennis Lillee). Journalist and former English cricketer Derek Pringle observed as Warne passed the 300 Test wicket mark at the age of 28: "we are in the presence of true greatness and not some pretender to the great figures in the game's history." Later in 1998, Warne was a member of Australia's touring squad of India. Finding