Australian cricket legend and all-time great leg spinner Shane Warne has passed away at the age of 52. Warne’s management issued a brief statement saying he died of a suspected heart attack in Thailand. “Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and, despite the best efforts of the medical staff, could not be revived,” the statement said. The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details.
An iconic name in international cricket, Warne has played 145 Tests for Australia since making his debut in 1992, taking 708 wickets. Warne took 293 wickets in his 194 ODI matches.
Tributes poured in from across the world, as cricketers and celebrities alike expressed grief and disbelief at the demise of the iconic cricketer. Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma were joined by other current and former players who posted memories of Warne on social media.
Born on 13 September 1969 in Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Warne made his Test debut against India in Sydney in 1992 and then made his ODI debut against New Zealand in Wellington in March the following year.
The Australian, who was chosen as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Century, ended his career with 293 wickets in ODIs and 708 wickets in Tests, the most by a leg-spinner in the format. He also won the World Cup with Australia in 1999 and was the player of the match with 4 for 33 in the final against Pakistan.
The cricketer, affectionately known as ‘Varney’, is credited with almost single-handedly reviving the art of leg-spin in the early 1990s. Though stalwarts like Pakistan’s Abdul Qadir kept the art alive, Warne brought a new glamor and attacking intent to the leg-spin. With his sharp and tactical mind, he could beat the best batsmen in the world.
Notably, the delivery of leg-spinners to Mike Gatting in the Manchester Ashes Test in 1993 is considered the ‘Ball of the Century’.
Like football legend Diego Maradona, Warne was also talented, charismatic, had a flamboyant personality, both on and off the field, and was involved in a lot of controversies in his life.
Away from the cricket field, Warne was rarely away from the front pages of the tabloids which have made revelations about his personal life. His ‘sexcaps’ were as famous as some of his deliveries.
In 1995, both of them and their then-partner Mark Waugh were fined for giving information to an Indian bookie during the previous year’s tour of Sri Lanka. He gained notoriety in the cricketing establishment for his comments against the then Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga just before the start of the 1999 World Cup.
In 2003, on the eve of that year’s 50-over World Cup, Warne was suspended from international cricket for a year after testing positive for a banned diuretic during a routine drugs test – he claimed. It was given to him by his mother to help him. make him lose weight.
However, the leg-spinner made a strong comeback with four consecutive five-wicket hauls and played a key role in Australia’s memorable 3–0 series win in Sri Lanka in March 2004 and then quietly played a key role in his subsequent “Final Frontier”. victory in India. He retired from international cricket in 2007, after reclaiming the Ashes with a 5–0 whitewash (Australia attacked England for the first time since 1920–21).
Even at the age of 37, Warne had not become a legend. Although Warne was a ‘master tactician’, he never got the opportunity to lead Australia – off-field disputes proved to be a major impediment to his rise as captain. However, he completed that unfinished business by winning the IPL title.
After retiring from international cricket, Warne proved his leadership ability and added to his legend with his pivotal role in Rajasthan Royals winning the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008. Not only this, he took 19 wickets during IPL 2008 and helped Rajasthan. get the title. He gave confident and desired advice to many people like Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan who served or continue to serve Indian cricket. Warne had his eye on talent and proved it by picking lesser-known players and making them magical moments for Rajasthan Royals.
Warne also found success as a commentator and was considered one of the fastest analysts in the game.