Shane Warne Suspected Cause of Death Revealed; Boris Johnson, Fans Mourn Passing of Australian Cricket Legend
(Photo : Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
World-renowned cricket legend Shane Warne of Australia has died of a suspected heart attack while at his villa in Thailand. The athlete started at a relatively young age of 22 and quickly made a name for himself in the sport, being considered one of the five best cricketers in the world.

Shane Warne, an Australian cricket legend and considered the greatest leg-spinner in history, died at age 52.

Friends of the athlete found him unresponsive in a villa that he was staying at in Koh Samui, Thailand. The sports legend's management released a statement in the early hours of Saturday, revealing his cause of death was suspected to be a heart attack. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and fans worldwide mourn for the loss of a great player.

Cricket Legend Dies

The statement said that when friends of Warne found him unresponsive at his villa, medical staff were immediately called and they performed life-saving measures to no avail. The cricket legend's family said they were asking for privacy during this time of grief and will provide more details in due course.

 

There were reports that Warne's close friend and associate Andrew Neophitou tried to revive the cricket player. The latter was an executive producer behind the recently released documentary SHANE, which featured the sports legend's rise as a controversial sporting star who enjoyed a Hollywood lifestyle, as per Fox Sports.

Thai International Hospital medical staff in Bangkok said that Warne's body was taken to their facility at roughly 6:00 p.m. local time from Samujana Villas, a luxury resort in the northeast of Koh Samui. The incident came just a few days after the athlete declared he was planning to return to peak fitness once more.

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Warne is known to be one of the game's most lethal bowlers, having 708 Test wickets to his name, which is the most recorded for an Australian, and only second behind Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. On three separate occasions, Warne was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World.

 

According to CNN, he was also chosen to be one of Wisden's five cricketers of the 20th century, which pays tribute to his skill and talent in the sport. Warne's legacy in cricket is unrivaled and is known far and wide by fans and other players.

Unparalleled Talent

At the young age of 22, Warne started playing for Australia, and on top of his 709 Test wickets, he also added 293 in one-day matches, which made him one of only two players to have 1,000 international wickets. With Warne's help, Australia was almost always the best team in the world, beating teams from England, India, the West Indies, and South Africa.

One of the most memorable balls that Warne bowled was among the firsts that he had. During the 1993 Ashes series between Australia and England, the then-23-year-old Warned faced off against England's batsman Mike Gatting.

The first ball the Australian had in the match veered sharply to the left, hitting the wicket and leaving Gatting dumbfounded. Fans and analysts quickly considered the incident a history cricket moment due to the combination of Gatting's sudden dismissal, the physics-defying movement of the ball, and Warne's relative youth and inexperience in the sport.

At the age of 46 in 2015, Warne brought a team of retired players to the United States to promote cricket, nearly filling Citifield in Queens with cricket enthusiasts who were excited to see their sport in a land not known for embracing it. The game played was a faster version known as Twenty20 cricket, the New York Times reported.


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