The cricketing world was in shock on Friday evening as an Australian Leg spinner, the legendary Shane Warne passed away at the age of 52 due heart attack at his villa in Thailand. The world of cricket was shocked by this news as cricket lost one of its icons.
In his inspirational career spanning 25 years, Warne was considered the best spinner of his generation and was named ‘The Spin King’. He didn’t just break records, he also created some unthinkable records which was never expected to be made in the first place.
Shane Warne in his 15 years international career, took a total of 1001 international wickets. He took 708 wickets in 145 Test matches which made him 2nd most successful test bowler behind Mutthai Muralidharan who surpassed him with 800 Test wickets. Warne was the first bowler to complete the 600 and 700 wickets marks. In ODIs, he took 293 wickets in 193 ODIs.
He has a plethora of records in Test Cricket. He took the most Test wickets in a calendar year when he took 96 wickets in 2005. His wicket of Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes Test Match against England at Manchester was recognized as the “Ball of the Century”. He has the most wickets in the Ashes with 195.
Post his international career, he was instrumental in Rajasthan Royals winning the inaugural IPL as he led a young and hungry side to a championship victory. He played a big role in shaping the career of Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, and many more. Today’s international spinners like Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal Nathan Lyon, etc.
With his unexpected passing, Warne who was a mentor to a lot of players of today’s generation will be leaving a huge legacy behind for us fans and admirers to cherries. Reacting to the shocking passing, here are some responses from Warne’s fellow cricketer and colleagues:
We are shocked and saddened by the passing of Shane Warne.
A true cricketing genius.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans all across the world. pic.twitter.com/7V4iMxVx4i
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) March 4, 2022
Virat Kohli said “For me, Shane Warne is the greatest spinner of all time. It was a pleasure to know him, my deepest condolences for the whole family, It’s so painful”.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 5, 2022
In utter disbelief, a legend of the game , the leg spinning wizard is no more . A big loss for the cricketing community and his fans around the world . My condolences to his family and friends . Rest in peace Shane Warne ! #WizardofOz #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/a3pwMMc3Ac
— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) March 5, 2022
Shocked, stunned & miserable…
Will miss you Warnie. There was never a dull moment with you around, on or off the field. Will always treasure our on field duels & off field banter. You always had a special place for India & Indians had a special place for you.
Gone too young! pic.twitter.com/219zIomwjB
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 4, 2022
Two legends of our game have left us too soon. I’m lost for words, and this is extremely sad. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Marsh and Warne family. I just can not believe it. #rip, you will both be missed https://t.co/gduLY9bIwg
— David Warner (@davidwarner31) March 4, 2022
I am in agony. Grief. And have no words. I was lucky enough to know him well. The magic will stay forever. #ShaneWarne #GreatestOfHisKind. In disbelief.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 4, 2022
Hard to put this into words. I first met him when I was 15 at the Academy. He gave me my nickname.
We were teammates for more than a decade, riding all the highs and lows together.
Through it all he was someone you could always count on, someone who loved his family… pic.twitter.com/KIvo7s9Ogp
— Ricky Ponting AO (@RickyPonting) March 5, 2022
RIP Warnie🙏 God only made one model of you my friend. #warnie #baggygreen #kingofspin pic.twitter.com/qIcgo6jEke
— Matthew Hayden AM (@HaydosTweets) March 5, 2022
Hard to fathom. We all idolised Warnie growing up for his showmanship, will to win from any position and his incredible skill. Players all over the world owe him so much for what he has brought to cricket. He had a huge affect on all he met. He transcended cricket.
RIP King pic.twitter.com/614NRwq4wm
— Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) March 4, 2022
It’s difficult to accept that you are gone, Warnie. Just shocked and numb right now. It feels like a personal loss.
You’ve been my idol and inspiration to take up spin bowling. You were an artist at work with a ball in hand. pic.twitter.com/eYdjS6EUFI
— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) March 4, 2022
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