Pat Cummins: Cricket won’t be same again after ‘once-in-a-century’ Shane Warne

Pat Cummins described Shane Warne as a “once-in-a-century type cricketer” after the former Australia leg-spinner’s death at the age of 52 following a suspected heart attack.

Tributes have flooded in from the world of cricket and beyond for a larger-than-life character who was the first to 700 Test wickets, eventually settling for 708 in 145 matches, bettered only by contemporary rival Muttiah Muralitharan.

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

Australia Test captain Cummins, currently touring Pakistan, said in a video posted on Cricket Australia’s Twitter: “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 posters on our wall, had his earrings. We loved so much his showmanship, his charisma, his tactics. He just willed himself and his team to win games for Australia.

“So many guys in this squad still hold him as a hero, their all-time favourite player. The loss we’re all trying to wrap our heads around is huge. The game was never the same after Warnie emerged and the game will never be the same after his passing. Rest in peace, King.”

With an instrumental Warne in their ranks, Australia won six Ashes series in a row and were the dominant force in cricket for more than a decade from the mid-1990s in both Tests and one-day internationals.

Adam Gilchrist was also a central pillar in their hegemony and the wicketkeeper-batter, while reeling from the devastating news, reflected with pride that he and predecessor Ian Healy were stumpers