Cricket legends lead tributes to Shane Warne after shocking death aged 52

Shane Warne’s unexpected and tragic death of a suspected heart attack was confirmed on Friday afternoon and tributes have quickly been made to one of the greatest cricketers in history.

Warne passed away in Koh Samui, Thailand, with a statement from his management reading: ‘Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived.

‘The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.’

The news has rocked the cricketing and wider sporting worlds, with Warne an icon of his chosen game but transcended cricket given his immense talent and being a globally popular character.

Long-time teammate with Australia Adam Gilchrist summed up the mood for many simply by posting a string of broken hearts.

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Current Australia batsman David Warner was ‘lost for words’ after, not only Warne’s tragic death, but also another legend of the national team Rod Marsh passing away a day earlier.

<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>Two legends of our game have left us too soon. Iâm lost for words, and this is extremely sad. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Marsh and Warne family. I just can not believe it. #rip, you will both be missed https://t.co/gduLY9bIwg

Former India batsman Virender Sehwag wrote on Twitter: ‘Cannot believe it. One of the greatest spinners, the man who made spin cool, superstar Shane Warne is no more. Life is very fragile, but this is very difficult to fathom. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans all around the world.’

<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>Cannot believe it. One of the greatest spinners, the man who made spin cool, superstar Shane Warne is no more. Life