Former Australian leg-spin legend Shane Warne dies at 52

Shane Warne died of a suspected heart attack, as per his management team

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Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne died of a heart attack — Twitter
Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne died of a heart attack — Twitter 

  • Shane Warne died of a suspected heart attack, as per his management team.
  • Warne had represented Australia from 1992 to 2007.
  • Legend was credited for bowling the "bowl of the century" when he dismissed England batsman Mike Gatting in 1993 Ashes.


Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne has passed away at the age of 52 of a suspected heart attack in Thailand.

“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” Warne’s management said in a  statement released to the Australian media outlet Fox Sports.

He represented Australia from 1992 to 2007.

The legendary spinner played 145 Test matches for the Australian team, while he had taken 708 wickets in the longest format of the game. He had also represented Australia in 194 One Day Internationals and taken 293 wickets. 

Hours before his death Warne had tweeted on the demise of former Australian legend Rod Marsh.

Warne was credited for bowling the "bowl of the century" when he dismissed England batsman Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes.  

The ball that was pitched outside leg stump spun immensely to hit Mike Gatting's off stump. 

Even though his career was hit by a lot of controversies, cricket experts and former greats credit Warne for reviving the art of legspin.

Throughout his career, the Australian legend had won many accolades. Highlight among them was being part of Australia's World Cup winning squad in 1999. In the tournament he had bagged the most wickets and was also the man-of-match in the final against Pakistan.

Apart from the world cup win, Warne also led the Rajasthan Royals to win the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. 

After retiring from cricket, Warne was often seen in the commentary box. He also joined former Indian great Sachin Tendulkar to launched "Cricket All-Stars" to promote the sport in United States with former legends of the game.  

Following the tragic incident, condolences started pouring in from all circles. 

Pakistan's all-format captain Babar Azam said that it was "hard to believe" the news.

"He literally inspired generations with his magical leg spin. You'll forever be missed Shane Warne," said Babar. 

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said that the "game of cricket has lost"  a "university of leg-spin bowling".

"I was inspired by his bowling from the start of my career and it was always a privilege to play against him," tweeted Afridi.

Warne's former teammate Adam Gilchrist, who had kept the wickets during the latter half of Warne's career, was also devastated after hearing about the unfortunate news.

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."

"Sad day for Cricket! An iconic cricket player & mentor has left us. Deeply saddened by this news. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans all around the world," wrote Pakistani cricketer Yasir Shah.

Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan said Warne was a crowd puller.
"Magician with the ball. Absolute legend of Australian cricket. First IPL winning captain. He will be missed, He will be remembered forever."

Indian actor thanked "Mr. Warne for the memories" of his "magic on the cricket field":.

Author Fatima Bhutto also tweeted on the death of the Australian great.