Australian legendary leggy, formally known as spin king, Shane Warne has passed away of a ‘suspected heart attack’ at his Villa in Thailand. He was 52.
Warne’s death is the second major blow to Cricket Australia on Friday after another Australian legend, Rodney Marsh, also passed away earlier in the day.
Career
After an underwhelming debut against India in 1991-92, where Warne’s solitary wicket came at a cost of 150 runs, He hinted at his full potential in bowling Australia to an unlikely victory over Sri Lanka in Morutuwa, before – in his fifth appearance – he ripped out seven match-winning wickets against West Indies at his home ground of Melbourne in the 1992-93 Boxing Day Test.
“Warney”, as he was known throughout the cricketing world, was without question one of the true icons of world cricket, a man who almost singlehandedly revived the art of legspin in the early 1990s.
Warne, who was named as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Century, claimed 708 Test wickets in a 15-year career for Australia between 1992 and 2007 and was also a World Cup winner in 1999. He had also represented Australia in 194 One Day Internationals and taken 293 wickets.
Warne was credited for bowling the “bowl of the century” when he dismissed England batsman Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes.
Warne’scharacter was controversial. The gambling incident in 1994 and the drug scandal that cost him his World Cup berth in 2003 are the two events that come to mind. There are many other issues, but to his credit, at no point in his career, he has allowed any issues to affect his game.
Condolences
Following the tragic incident of Shane Warne, condolences started pouring in from all circles. Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam said that it was “hard to believe” the news.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said that the “game of cricket has lost” a “university of leg-spin bowling”.
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag took to Twitter and wrote:
“Cannot believe it. One of the greatest spinners, the man who made spin cool, superstar Shane Warne is no more. Life is very fragile, but this is very difficult to fathom. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans all around the world.”
