Australia players devastated by death of ‘once-in-a-century’ Shane Warne

Glenn McGrath said he is “absolutely devastated” following the death of Shane Warne as Australia players past and present paid tribute to the cricketing great.

Tributes have flooded in for Warne after the former Australia leg-spinner died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52.

Warne was the first player to take 700 Test wickets and his partnership with fast bowler McGrath will be remembered as one of the greatest in the game’s history.

Warne and McGrath played 104 Tests together taking an extraordinary 1,011 wickets at an average of 23.13.

A post shared by Glenn McGrath (@glennmcgrath11)

“Just absolutely devastated today,” said McGrath, 52, in a message posted to Instagram. “Warnie was larger than life. I thought nothing could ever happen to him. He lived more in his life than most people would live in 20.

“He was the ultimate competitor. He thought the game was never lost, that he could turn it around and bring us to victory, which he did so many times. I think he lived his life the same way. There seemed to be never a dull moment.”

“He was a great mate and a loving father. Rest In Peace my good mate, there’ll never again be anyone like you.”

Warne’s record of 708 wickets in 145 Tests was bettered only by contemporary rival Muttiah Muralitharan.

A pioneer who revived legbreak bowling amid a downturn in the decades before he burst on to the scene in 1992, Warne was revered by many across a glittering 15-year international career.

Australia Test captain Pat Cummins, currently touring Pakistan, said in a video posted on Cricket Australia’s Twitter feed: “Warnie was an all-time great, a once-in-a-century type of cricketer and his record will live on forever.

“We all grew up watching Warnie, idolising him, we all had