Legendary cricketer Shane Warren dies at 52 in Thailand

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Australian cricketer Shane Warren died at the age of 52 on Friday, one of the best bowlers of all time, whose talent and personality far outstripped the sport. Read more

His family confirmed in a statement that Warren, who finished his bound international career in 2007 with a stunning 708-wicket test, died of a heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand.

“Shane has been found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of the medical staff, he cannot be revived,” the statement read.

“The family is requesting privacy at this time and will provide more details in due course.”

Credited with reviving the art of leg spinning, Warne made his debut in 1992 against India, and by the time he finished his 15-year international career, the spinner had established himself as one of the game’s all-time greats. Read more

He also had 293 wickets from 194 players for one day and won the Man of the Match award when Australia beat Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup Final.

Thai police said Warren and three other friends were staying in a private villa and one of them went to inquire about him after the former cricketer did not show up for dinner.

“The friend did CPR on him and called an ambulance,” Chachawin Nakmosik, a police officer with Bo Put police in Koh Samui, told Reuters by phone.

“Then the emergency response unit arrived and did CPR again for 10-20 minutes. Then an ambulance from the Thai International Hospital arrived and took him there. They did CPR for five minutes, and then he died.”

Chachawin added that they did not know the cause of death but did not treat it as suspicious.

Warren’s death comes hours after Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh died on Friday at the age of 74.

Warren’s last Twitter post, 12 hours before his death was announced, was a tribute to Marsh.

“So sad to hear the news of Rod Marsh’s passing. He was a legend of our wonderful game and an inspiration to so many young boys and girls. Rod took a great interest in cricket and gave a lot especially to the players of Australia and England. Sending lots and lots of love to Ross and family.”

The greats of all time

Ranked by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack as among the five greatest players of the twentieth century, Warne was one of the game’s most popular crowd pleasers whose career and lifestyle often made headlines. Read more

The pernicious vertigo device frequently sparked controversy and stood for 12 months after testing positive for banned diuretics in 2003.

Often called the best captain never seen in Australia, he inspired the Rajasthan Royals to win the inaugural Indian Premier League title in 2008. Read more

Warren’s death prompted a torrent of honors from the cricket world.

His great Indian rival Sachin Tendulkar was “shocked, bewildered and miserable” by Warney’s death.

Tendulkar tweeted: “There has never been a dull moment with you around, on or off the field. I will always cherish our on and off field duels. You always had a special place for India and the Indians had a special place for you.”

West Indies fighting great Viv Richards also paid tribute on Twitter. Read more

“Unbelievable. I’m shocked to the core. This can’t be true…Rest in peace,ShaneWarne. No words to describe how I feel right now. Huge loss to cricket,” he wrote.

Australia Test captain Pat Cummins described Warren as a “one-time cricketer in the century” and said the team, who currently play in Pakistan, had been “numbed by the news”.

“A lot of us in the playgroup grew up worshiping it and fell in love with this amazing sport as a result,” Cummins said.

“Cricket was not what it was after Shane appeared, and it will never be the same now that he is gone. Rest in peace, King.”

“It’s been two horrific days for Australian cricket after the death of Rod March and now Shane. Our thoughts are with both families,” Cummins added. Read more

Additional reporting by Simon Evans in Manchester, Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi and Patbisha Tanakasimpipat in Bangkok; Editing by Toby Davis

Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.