Shane Warne, Australian cricketing legend and ‘Spin King’, passes away at 52
2 min read 04 Mar 2022, 07:45 PM ISTShane Warne was regarded arguably as the finest leg-spin bowler to have ever played the game.
PremiumFormer Australian cricketer and legendary leg-spin bowler Shane Warne on Friday died of ‘suspected heart attack’, aged 52, news agency ANI reported.
Warne’s management released a brief statement in the early hours of Saturday (AEDT), that he passed away in Koh Samui, Thailand, of a suspected heart attack, according to Fox Cricket.
“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived," according to the statement.
“The family requests a privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course," it said.
Less than 24 hours earlier, Warne paid his tributes to the passing away of another Australian legendary cricketer Rod Marsh. "He was a legend of our great game and an inspiration to so many young boys and girls. Rod cared deeply about cricket and gave so much - especially to Australia and England players," Warne said.
Reacting to the news, Australia opener David Warner tweeted: "Two legends of our game have left us too soon. I'm lost for words, and this is extremely sad. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Marsh and Warne family. I just can not believe it. #rip, you will both be missed."
An iconic name in international cricket, Warne, since making his debut in 1992, played 145 Tests for Australia, picking up 708 wickets. In his 194 ODI appearances, Warne pared 293 scalps.
Warne's 708 Test wickets was the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket until it was broken by Muralitharan in 2007.
Shane Warne was regarded arguably as the finest leg-spin bowler to have ever played the game. His unflinching determination and out of the box thinking separated him from the rest of the pack.
Warne was a member of Australia’s World Cup win in 1999, and five Ashes-winning sides between 1993 and 2003.
He later played in the Indian Premier League and other Twenty20 competitions before retiring from all international cricket in 2013 but continued to be involved in the game as a broadcaster. Under Shane Warne, Rajasthan Royals won its first Indian Premier League (IPL) title in the first edition of the league itself.
After hanging up the boots as the cricketer, Warne grew into a celebrated broadcaster worldwide across the global media. He famously called many iconic moments in the game for various networks including Sky Sports, Fox Sports, Star Sports among others.
Warne was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the year 1994 and was the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 1997. In 2012, he was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame by Cricket Australia and was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2013.
He played domestic cricket for his home state of Victoria and English county cricket for Hampshire.
Tributes poured in from across the globe on the demise of legendary Shane Warne. Indian cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma too condoled the demise.
"Life is so fickle and unpredictable. I cannot process the passing of this great of our sport and also a person I got to know off the field. RIP #goat (Greatest of All Time). Greatest to turn the cricket ball," Virat Kohli tweeted.
"I'm truly lost for words here, this is extremely sad. An absolute legend and champion of our game has left us. RIP Shane Warne....still can't believe it," India men's captain Rohit Sharma wrote.
His team-mate and former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist too reacted on Twitter to the shocking development.
