Shane Warne: “King of Spin” Cricket legend died of heart attack

Australian Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne (52), “King of Spin” who took 708 Test wickets in 145 matches the second most of all time,  and arguably history’s best bowler, has died of a suspected heart attack in his villa on the Thai Island of Koh Samui on Friday.

“ It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack, despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” his management company said.

Warne, who began his professional life as a shy and chubby boy from Melbourne’s outer suburbs, started a revolution turning Australian cricket into box-office entertainment, helped Australia win the 1999 50-over World Cup, and claimed 293 dismissals in 194 one-day international between 1993 and 2005.

In 2000, he was named one of the five Wisden cricketers of the century, alongside Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs, and Sir Viv Richards.

He retired from first-class ending a seven-year spell with Hampshire, and List A cricket and International cricket in 2007 following Australia’s  5-0 Ashes clean sweep of England at home.

He, however, continued to play Twenty20 franchise cricket until retiring from all formats in 2013 and thereafter worked regularly as a commentator and coach at T20 franchises. He is survived by three children with former wife Simone Callahan.

 Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh(74) also died of a heart attack on the same day which was announced shortly after the close of play on day one of Australia’s first Test match in Pakistan.

Shane Warne’s mastery of leg-spin and magnificent control and variations troubled even the greatest batters of his generation. Only Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan with 800 dismissals has taken more test wickets than Warne.

Warne inspired successive generations of fans.

Australian Test captain Pat Cummins said, “ Shane was a once-in-a-century cricketer and his achievements will stand for all time”.

He was also a fine slip fielder and a very capable lower-order batter scoring 3,154 runs at an average of  17.32 and is the only batter in Test history to surpass 3, 000 runs without making a century, falling twice for 99, against New Zealand in 2001 and against England in 2005.

Scandal followed him closely as adulation, as Warne took money from illegal bookmakers, was banned for using prohibited banned drugs diuretic. Shane Warne died of a suspected heart attack on Koh Samui Island.

Warne’s first four innings returned one wicket for 335 runs, but then he knocked over three Sri Lankans in 31 balls to win a thriller in Columbo. A match-winning 7-2 beat the mighty West Indies. Warne’s accuracy,  and invariably chatted endlessly, asking even the greatest batsmen to consider what might come next, and made them panic. Thai police have questioned a German woman who got into the back of the ambulance transporting the body of Shane Warne from the Island of Koh Samui. The police say the woman is a fan who wanted to pay her respects to Shane Warne.

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Shane Warne had just completed a 14-day liquid diet to lose weight before his death on holiday in Thailand

Friends of leg-spin bowler performed CPR for 20 minutes while waiting for emergency services. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead shortly afterward.

Shane Warne to be honoured with a state funeral.