March 04, 2022
Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne, 52, passed away late Friday and left cricket fans in shock as he was among the best leg spinners in the history of the game.
Warne — a larger-than-life character whose tally of 708 Test wickets has only been surpassed by his rival and fellow spinner Muttiah Muralitharan — could not be revived after being found unresponsive in his Thailand villa.
Read more: Former Australian leg-spin legend Shane Warne dies at 52
Named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, alongside Donald Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Jack Hobbs and Viv Richards, Warne's impact was enormous.
Read more: What had Shane Warne tweeted hours before his death?
The first bowler to take 700 Test wickets with an assortment of leg-breaks, googlies, flippers and his own "zooters", Warne retired from Australia duty following a 5-0 series win at home to arch-rivals England during the 2006/07 Ashes.
Read more: 10 memorable deliveries of Shane Warne
His career continued in T20, where he was a hugely popular captain of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, helping develop the fledgling league into the financial driver of the game it is today and earning a personal fortune along the way.
— Additional input from Reuters and AFP