The Conversation (0)
Sport
Ukrainian footballer brought to tears as crowd cheer him on
Benfica
Legendary cricketer Shane Warne has died after suffering a suspected heart attack at the age of 52.
The legendary Australian bowler died while on holiday in Thailand, his management confirmed.
A statement read: "Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived.
"The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course."
The sporting world has been paying tribute to one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game, and people are going back to where it all began for him on social media.
Warne made his name and became an overnight sensation with a single unplayable delivery back in 1993.
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
Back in his debut Ashes test, Warne was still something of an unknown when he took to the field against England at Old Trafford, Manchester.
On June 4, the 23-year-old was thrown the ball by Australian captain Allan Border and he proceeded to make one of the most famous deliveries in the history of the game.
Mike Gatting was the English batman facing him, and as the ball pitched several feet outside the line of the leg stump, he assumed it was a harmless loosener.
However, the ball proceeded to rip out of a small patch of rough, jag off the surface and take the off stump, leaving Gatting stunned.
Speaking to Fox cricket years later, Warne said the ball changed his life in an instant and immediately made him a star.
“I was 23 when that happened. I remember going to the Windmill Pub in London, we were staying at the Westbury Hotel 100 yards up the road ... and I went for a pint with Merv [Hughes].”
Tributes pour in as legendary cricketer Shane Warne dies aged 52Getty
“And when I came out there was, without a word of a lie, probably 25-30 photographers just taking pictures. The next day was about ‘Shane Warne was at the pub’. I was getting critiqued about what I was wearing, I had ‘10 things you don’t know about Shane Warne’ and I’m reading it going, ‘that’s not true, I didn’t know that about me!’”
Another clip has also been circulating online, showing Warne playing in the Indian Premier League closer to the end of his career, perfectly talking through a classic dismissal to the commentary team live during a game.
It comes after former players and fans alike rushed to social media to pay tribute to one of the legends of the sport.
Pakistan great Shoaib Akhtar wrote: “Just heard the devastating news about legendary Shane Warne passing away. No words to describe how shocked & sad i am.
“What a legend. What a man. What a cricketer.”
Gary Lineker was one of the high-profile fans to share a message too, writing: “Terribly saddened and shocked to hear the news that Shane Warne has died. The greatest spin bowler of all time. Can’t quite believe it. RIP Shane.”
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
Top 100
x