Shane Warne: Latest news and tributes as Australian cricket legend’s death not treated as suspicious

Shane Warne’s place in the pantheon of cricket legends is secure and after he died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52, reflections on the impact that he had on the sport and beyond began to take place.

Warne, a former captain of Australia’s One-Day International side and vice-captain of the Test team, is considered one of the greatest bowlers of all time. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket.

Born to an Australian father and German mother in Victoria on 13 September 1969, Warne went on to play for the University of Melbourne and by 1990 had begun training at the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide.

The following year, Warne moved to England to represent Accrington Cricket Club, before returning to Australia to make his first-class debut for Victoria. Soon thereafter, Warne made his first appearances for Australia’s reserve national teams and would go on to launch a remarkable international career.

Shane Warne, the legendary Australian spin bowler considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time, has died aged 52 of a suspected heart attack while in Thailand.

Warne was on the popular tourist island of Koh Samui when he was found. Local medics attended the scene but could not save him.

Thai police have now released two further bits of information. They have confirmed that they are not treating the death as a suspicious and have also stated that he was found by associates staying in the same villa as Warne, who unsuccessfully tried to revive him.

A statement from Warne’s management company MPC Entertainment read: “It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand today, Friday 4 March. 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.”

Tributes have been paid to Shane Warne, the Australian cricket legend regarded as the greatest leg-spinner of all time, after his death from a suspected heart attack at the age of 52.

A statement from Warne’s management company said Warne had been found unresponsive at his villa in Thailand and “despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived.”

The Barmy Army, England’s supporters club, said Warne was a “complete genius” and “one of the game’s greatest characters” who is “forever etched in Ashes history”.

The England cricket team posted on Twitter: “One of the greatest of all-time. A legend. A genius. You changed Cricket. RIP Shane Warne”.

Shane Warne’s cricketing career was dotted with pieces of genius, as one of the most gifted spin bowlers to ever don a pair of whites invariably picked the most high-profile moments to deliver for Australia.

From the ‘Ball of the Century’ that bamboozled Mike Gatting and launched his career to an MCG hat-trick, World Cup success and a perfect Ashes swansong, Warne was never far away from the spotlight.

After a career that dazzled and enthralled, we look back at some of Warne’s most memorable moments.

The England men’s cricket team led the tributes pouring in for Australia great Shane Warne, after he died aged 52 following a suspected heart attack.

Leg-spinner Warne – whose 708 Test wickets has only been surpassed by contemporary rival and fellow spinner Muttiah Muralitharan – could not be revived after being found unresponsive in his Thailand villa.

England are currently in the Caribbean, preparing for a three-Test series against the West Indies and ahead of the final day of their warm-up against a Cricket West Indies President’s XI, the players and umpires stood in the middle for a minute’s silence in honour of Warne.

The iconic moments during Shane Warne’s legendary Test career are too numerous to list but there is one that perhaps stands out - his ‘Ball of the Century’.

At Old Trafford in Manchester, with his first ball against England, in his first Ashes Test, Warne produced a spectacular delivery that bowled Mike Gatting out - the ball pitching several inches outside of leg stump before turning sharply, passing the outside edge of Gatting’s bat, then clipping the top of off stump, dislodging the bails.

It was one of the greatest deliveries of all-time, regardless, of context and it not only set the tone for the match and series but it signalled the revival of leg spin bowling in Test cricket.

Shane Warne, the legendary Australian spin bowler considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time, has died aged 52 of a suspected heart attack while in Thailand.

Warne was on the popular tourist island of Koh Samui when he was found. Local medics attended the scene but could not save him.

Warne took 708 Test wickets for Australia, the second highest tally of all time behind only Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. He played an instrumental part in Australia’s era of dominance through the 1990s and 2000s alongside fellow greats like Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, winning the 1999 World Cup and five Ashes series.

Watch the video below summarising the story:

Shane Warne was one of the greatest bowlers of all-time and there was nothing better than watching the Australian leggie do battle with some of the all-time great batters.

Two of those foes have paid tribute to Warne following his untimely death aged just 52, with West Indies legend Brian Lara tweeting: “💔 And speechless at the moment. I literally don’t know how to sum up this situation. My friend is gone!! We have lost one of the Greatest Sportsmen of all time!! My condolences goes out to his family. RIP Warnie!! You will be missed.”

And Test cricket’s all-time top run-scorer Sachin Tendulkar has also tweeted his shock and condolences:

Shane Warne, the legendary Australian spin bowler considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time, has died aged 52 of a suspected heart attack while in Thailand.

Warne was on the popular tourist island of Koh Samui when he was found. Local medics attended the scene but could not save him.

“It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand today, Friday 4 March,” a statement from his management company MPC Entertainment read. “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.”

Former Australia spinner Shane Warne has died aged 52, his management company has confirmed.

Warne was on the popular tourist island of Koh Samui when he was found. Local medics attended the scene but could not save him.

“It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand today, Friday 4 March,” a statement from his management company MPC Entertainment read. “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.”

Warne ranks second behind only fellow spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in the all-time list of leading Test wicket-takers and you can read more of the statistics from his stunning career in the piece below.