The cricket world was plunged ever deeper into mourning with devastating news that sporting icon Shane Warne has died.
The greatest leg spin bowler the game has ever seen was just 52.
Warne’s passing from a suspected heart attack, comes just hours after former Aussie wicket-keeping great Rod Marsh passed away as a result of the same.
Warne’s passing at such a tender age will send shockwaves through a game that he revolutionised and revitalised during his career.
A permanent thorn in the side of English cricket sides during a period of Australian dominance during the 1990s and 2000s Warne made leg spin bowling and cricket cool again.
From the moment he sent down the ‘ball of the century’ to Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993 to open his Ashes account with his very first ball a star was born.
And boy did he make the most of it.
In an era where fast bowling had dominated the game thanks to the West Indies pace kings to the giants of Pakistan and South Africa, Warne showed that spin bowling had its place at the top table of the game.
He was able to bamboozle even the very best of batsmen, with his ability to spin the ball further and faster than any had faced before.
But it wasn’t just about the raw ability to bowl six deliveries in the same place, it was just as much about the minds games and the theatre of the contest.
Warne relished the challenge of going toe-to-toe with the best and outsmarting them with a look, a smile, a word or two.
If the best batsmen were known as bar emptiers, then so too was Shane Warne with a cricket ball in his hand.
You couldn’t take your eyes off the game when Warne was involved, and it didn’t matter the format either.
Test cricket was where his undoubted genius was able to flourish, given the time and space five days allows.
But he was an incredible white ball bowler too, winning man of the match in the 1999 World Cup final at Lord’s when he took Pakistan apart.
And then when T20 cricket came along, who was at the vanguard to help turn it into the spectacle it is today? Shane Warne of course as the mastermind behind Rajasthan Royals victory in the maiden Indian Premier League in 2008.
Warne remained steadfastly committed to the game in every way following his retirement from international cricket in 2007 and then professional domestic cricket in 2013.
First as a consultant coach, working with international teams such as Australia and Pakistan to help their spin bowlers, and then as a coach and mentor with the Rajasthan Royals, and most recently as head coach of the London Spirit franchise in The Hundred.
He went on to become a much sought after commentator, bringing incredible insight to the game for viewers while also penning an autobiography ‘No Spin’ alongside Mark Nicholas in 2018, and featuring in a documentary on his life that was released only months ago.
In it he talks candidly about his colourful life off the field which only added to his legend.
An ordinary guy from St Kilda, Warne wanted to be an Aussie rules player more than anything else, but after finding that route wasn’t open to him, he turned to cricket and discovered just how good he could be.
Cricket gave him the avenue to enjoy life to the fullest, and was able to indulge other passions such as golf, poker, and charitable work.
He leaves behind three children. He will be missed.
