Legendary Australian Cricketer And 'Spin Wizard' Shane Warne Passes Away At 52

Shane Warne Demise: Shane Warne died of 'suspected heart attack', said Fox News. He was 52.

Cricket legend and former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne (Getty Images)

New Delhi: Cricket legend and former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne passed away on Friday. Shane Warne passed away in Koh Samui, Thailand, of a suspected heart attack, according to Fox Cricket. He was 52.

In a statement, Shane Warne's management said, "Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived."

Warne's demise comes hours after another legendary Australian cricketer Rod Marsh died on Friday after suffering a major heart attack last week.

Warne, affectionately called 'Warnie', had a stellar international career, spanning across 15 years. Warne scalped 708 Test wickets -- the most ever by an Australian, and the second-most of all time behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

Considered as one of the all-time greats of the game who redefined spin bowling, Warne also took 293 One-Day International wickets and was also named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Century. 

In total, Warne, a massive turner of the ball, took 1,001 wickets and was the first-ever bowler to scale the peak of 1,000 international wickets.

In 2013, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Warne helped Australia win the World Cup in 1999 and took more wickets than any other bowler in Ashes cricket, the tally standing at 195.

Warne hogged the limelight very early in his career when, during the 1993 Ashes tour of England, he bowled England captain Mike Gatting with his first delivery, later dubbed "the ball of the century".

After retiring from international cricket, Warne captained IPL team Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of the tournament and won the cup. The team was touted as one of the underdogs in the tournament.

Warne also found success as a commentator and was considered among the sharpest analysts of the game.

Following the news of Warne's shock demise, several cricketers paid tributes to the Australian legend.

"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," tweeted former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag.

Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane said he shared "some wonderful years" with Warne during the start of his career. "Shocked to hear about Shane Warne's departure. Shared some wonderful years with him during the start of my career. Rest in peace, legend!" Rahane tweeted.

"Just heard the devastating news about legendary Shane Warne passing away. No words to describe how shocked and sad i am. What a legend. What a man. What a cricketer," tweeted former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar.