Australian cricket icon Shane Warne passes away at 52: Shane Warne, Australian cricket legend who helped his nation win the World Cup in 1999 and was part of five Ashes-winning teams during his career, died aged 52 on Friday. “Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” Warne’s management confirmed in a statement to Australian media outlet Fox Sports. “The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course,” the statement added. Fox Cricket reported that Warne died in Koh Samui, Thailand. For Australian cricket, this is the second devastating news in 24 hours with fellow great, Rod Marsh, also dying on Friday having suffered a major heart attack last week. Incidentally, Warne had condoled his demise in a tweet this morning. Affectionately known as ‘Warnie’, he made his Test debut at the SCG in 1992 against India and gained international fame when he delivered the ball of the century in 1993, one to remember for ages for cricket fans around the world. Warne was arguably the greatest leg-spinner of all time, with a tally of 708 Test match wickets. Warne has also bagged more Ashes wickets than any other bowler in history. Warne was named as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Century for his unparalleled achievements in a 15-year career between 1992 and 2007. Warne’s vivacious persona made him a fan favourite across the cricketing world but also often landed him in trouble. In 1998, he and Mark Waugh coped a fine from Cricket Australia for accepting money from a bookmaker for sharing information on pitch and weather conditions. He was dismissive of the idea of coaching in cricket and always advocated for man managers instead.
top of page
bottom of page