Shane Warne, flamboyant superstar, dies at 52 of suspected heart attack
Warne, the larger than life leg-spinner who bamboozled batsmen, enthralled fans, and constantly provided fodder to tabloids, stunned the world one last time on Friday as he passed away, aged just 52. Warne, who ended his international career in 2007 with 708 Test wickets, more than anyone else except Muttiah Muralitharan (800) died from a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand, his family confirmed in a statement. He also had 293 wickets from 194 one-dayers, won the man-of-the-match award when Australia beat Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup final, and was declared one of the five greatest cricketers of the 20th century by Wisden.
"Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived," the statement read. Thai Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious. In a cruel twist, Warne's death came just hours after another former Australian cricket great, wicket-keeper Rod Marsh died on Friday at the age of 74. Warne's last post on Twitter, 12 hours before his death was reported, was a tribute to Marsh. "Sad to hear the news that Rod Marsh has passed. He was a legend of our great game & an inspiration to so many young boys & girls. Rod cared deeply about cricket & gave so much-especially to Australia & England players. Sending lots & lots of love to Ros & the family."
Read AlsoOBITUARY: Shane Warne, the man who made spin sexy againShane Warne was not only one of the greatest cricketers ever to play the game but he can also probably be credited with saving the art of spin bowling in a sport that had become dominated by relentless pace. His extraordinary figures tell the first half of the story and the proliferation of leg-spin
A few hours later, it
