The cricketing world is in complete shock after hearing the news of Shane Warne’s death from a heart attack at the age of 52 on Friday.
The iconic leg-spinner passed away in Thailand of a suspected heart attack, his management company said in a statement.
Shane Warne was one of the best leg-spinners to have embraced the game and was fondly known as ‘King of Spin’.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, “Australians have woken in shock and sadness to the awful news of the death of Shane Warne.”
“Shane was one of our greatest cricketers of all time, one of only a few that could approach the extraordinary achievements of the great Don Bradman. His achievements were the product of his talent, his discipline and his passion for the game he loved.”
But Shane was more than this to Australians. Shane was one of our nation’s greatest characters. His humour, his passion, his irreverence, his approachability ensured he was loved by all. Australians loved him. We all did.
There was something magical that he brought to our summers. The bleached blonde hair, the almost casual way he moved to send down delivery, and his engagement with the crowd. He was one of a kind.
He inspired so many girls and boys to try their hand at cricket. He made it all look so easy. At some point, in most Australian backyards, we all tried to deliver a flipper.
Shane was the “King of Spin” because there was none like him. The “ball of the century” will be talked about forever.
Our love and condolences go to Shane’s family and particularly his children Brooke, Jackson, and Summer.
We have lost one of Australia’s greatest cricketers and today we are bewildered by this sad and sudden loss.
In recognition of Shane Warne’s national achievements, his family will be offered a state funeral by the Commonwealth Government.
This will be done in consultation with the Warne family, Cricket Australia and the Victorian Government to ensure we honour Shane’s passing and memory.
Warne scalped 708 wickets in his illustrious career which spanned 145 Test matches.
Warne played 194 One Day Internationals for Australia in which he scalped 293 wickets. The right-hander was also handy with the bat as he scored 3,154 runs in his Test career. He amassed 1,018 runs in the 50-overs format.
“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,” tweeted former India cricketer Virender Sehwag.
The former England all-rounder Kevin Pietersen, who was a close friend of Warne’s, tweeted “F***’ when the news broke followed by a string of crying emojis and the hashtag #RIPKing.”
The current England all-rounder Ben Stokes posted: “Australian Legend. @rajasthanroyals Legend. Was an honour to know you and work with you. This man is a LEGEND. #theking”
Ex-England batsman Ian Bell wrote: “Surely not??? Utterly heartbreaking.”
The leg-spinner was known for his guile bowling and took a total of 1001 wickets. He became the first-ever bowler to scale the peak of 1,000 international wickets.
