Competition winners at the HMV event took England into bat against a Warne-led Australia side, but resistance was futile. Despite some brave shots, including a few spectacular boundaries which Shane sportingly greeted with high-fives, Warne applied the kind of pressure we’ve grown used to over the years and the England dismissals came thick and fast. How the Australians must wish the legendary bowler was lining up to take on Andrew Strauss , ‘Freddy’ Flintoff and co this summer as the series hangs in the balance.

‘We were delighted to host the launch of Ashes 2009 and were genuinely ‘bowled over’ by the size of the crowds. Shane was a real star and was more than happy to spend a couple of hours meeting and chatting to fans of the game.’ commented Tim Ellis, Head of Games, HMV. ‘Whilst he got a big cheer when he stepped up on stage, there was an even bigger one when he demoed the game and got smashed for four on his first ball. A great bloke and a great game.’

Shane Warne lends expert analysis and enjoys banter with England Ashes legend Sir Ian Botham from the commentary box in Ashes Cricket 2009, the game which lets players use the Wii Remote to perform batting and bowling motion like their heroes and decide the fate of this year’s Ashes themselves.