Australia cricket legend and the greatest leg-spinner of all time, Shane Warne, has died, aged 52.
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Warne’s management released a brief statement in the wee hours of Saturday (Australian time) that he passed away in Koh Samui, Thailand, of a suspected heart attack.
“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” the statement reads.
Also Read: Shane Warne dies at 52, tributes pour in
“The family requests aprivacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.
“The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.” 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.
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Following his retirement from international cricket, Warne played IPL and won the inaugural reason for Rajasthan Royals. In 2015, Warne and Sachin Tendulkar tried to take cricket to the US by playing All-Star Cricket.
Tributes to Warne have poured in from the cricket world, from teammates and rivals alike. Brian Lara, arguably the greatest batter to have faced Warne in his pomp, tweeted an image of a broken heart, adding: “Speechless at the moment. I literally don’t know how to sum up this situation. My friend is gone!! We have lost one of the Greatest Sportsmen of all time!! My condolences goes out to his family. RIP Warnie!! You will be missed.”
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Adam Gilchrist, Warne’s teammate in one of the greatest Test teams of all time, added: “Numb. The highlight of my cricketing career was to keep wicket to Warnie. Best seat in the house to watch the maestro at work. Have often felt a tad selfish, that Heals [Ian Healy] and I pretty much exclusively are the only ones who had that thrill and pleasure at Test level. Rip Warnie.”
