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Australia cricket legend Shane Warne dies of suspected heart attack
Australia cricket legend and the greatest leg-spinner of all-time, Shane Warne, has died, aged 52.
The news is the second devastating blow for Australian cricket within 24 hours with fellow great, Rod Marsh, also dying on Friday having suffered a major heart attack last week.
Warne – whose 708 Test wickets for Australia has only been surpassed by contemporary rival and fellow spinner Muttiah Muralitharan – could not be revived after being found unresponsive in his Thailand villa.
“It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand today, Friday 4 March,” a statement from his management company MPC Entertainment 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.”
Warne retired from international cricket in 2007, after a stellar career where he took 708 Test wickets in 145 matches and he continued to play franchise Twenty20 cricket until 2013.
He won the 1999 50-over World Cup and claimed 293 dismissals in 194 one-day internationals between 1993 and 2004.
After retiring, the spinner worked as a cricket commentator and in various coaching roles, including with the London Spirit in the inaugural edition of The Hundred in 2021.
Warne has three children with his ex-wife Simone Callahan and he was briefly engaged to actress Elizabeth Hurley in 2011.
Tributes poured in for Warne from the cricketing world and beyond.