New Delhi, India

Australian cricket legend Shane Warne passed away aged 52 on Friday (March 04). Regarded as one of the greatest spinners of all time, Warne breathed his last after suffering a suspected heart attack. His management released a statement on Friday confirming that Warne passed away in Thailand.

Advertisment

“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” the statement reads.

“The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course," it added.

The news of Warne's demise has sent shockwaves across the cricketing fraternity as several former cricketers and fans took to social media to express their condolences. Warne, who was the first bowler in the world to reach the milestone of 700 Test wickets, was a magician with a ball in hand.

Advertisment

Warne made his Test debut for Australia at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in 1992 and went on to establish his credentials as one of the best spinners to have graced the game. He won the hearts of millions of cricket fans around the world with his exceptional bowling and ability to trouble the best of batters during his playing days.

Also Read: Shane Warne obituary: Former Australia spin wizard passes away at 52

His 'ball of the century' is still fresh in the minds of cricket fans across the globe. Warne is Australia's highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 708 scalps and was also a handy batter down the order. He scored an impressive 3154 runs in Tests at an average of 17.32.

Advertisment

Warne played 145 Tests and 194 ODIs in an illustrious international career spanning over 15 years. He picked up 708 and 293 wickets in the two formats respectively, and is the second-highest wicket-taker of all time in Test history behind only Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.