Shane Warne was an Australian cricket legend, who reportedly died at 52 of a heart attack. 

Born Shane Keith Warne, September 13, 1969, in Ferntree Gully, Victoria, he’s considered to be one of the most effective bowlers in the history of the game. Warne set himself apart with the ability to disguise top spins with his fingers and showed immense control over two or three different types of googlies. 

Warne’s ability to bring back the almost-forgotten art of leg-spin introduced a variety to the sport that had thus far been largely dominated by fast bowling. 

In 2006, he became the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets and had an unparalleled total of 708 Test wickets in his career, a record broken by Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan in 2007. 

Warne entered cricket relatively later in his teenage years. With his relaxed demeanour, stud earring, bleached hair, and fondness for surfing, Warne quickly became a folk hero and well-loved by the young fans of the game. 

After only seven matches at the Sheffield Shield domestic club competition, Warne was picked for the Australian national team. His Test debut was against India, in Sydney, in 1991-1992. He also played the 1993 Ashes Test against England, delivering perhaps the perfect example of a leg-spin against Mike Gatting at Old Trafford, Manchester. It was pitched on the leg-stump before spinning past Gatting’s bat, hitting his off-stump. 

Warne’s career wasn’t without its dark spots, and in 1998, the player faced problems when he and teammate Mark Waugh were accused of taking bribes from an Indian bookmaker. Despite this scandal, Warne went on to be named among Five Cricketers of the Century by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in 2000. 

Warne has three children with his ex-wife Simone Callahan. His personal life has included reports of several affairs, and the Australian King of Spin made the news due to his torrid relationship with British actress, Elizabeth Hurley.