Spin Wizard Shane Warne Passes Away At 52

Bangkok: Australian cricketer Shane Warne has passed away at the age of 52 due to a suspected heart attack and his management company in a brief statement released on March 4 confirmed about his demise in Koh Samui, Thailand.

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

Born in 1969 at Victoria, the Australian was often referred to as the "Spin Wizard" due to his extraordinary ability to turn the bowl. He was arguably one of the greatest bowlers to have ever played the game, if not the most and he had redefined spin bowling like never before.

His bowling style was also quite unique and stylish, with his famous walk up to the crease and a ripping wind up action. Not only did he generate tremendous spin off the pitch but was also immensely accurate - a trait that is quite an uphill task for a leg spinner.

The spin sensation kicked off his illustrious career back in 1992 when he made his international debut for Australia in the Sydney test against India. From that point onwards, there was no turning back for him and he went on to achieve some incredible records and milestones throughout the course of his 16 year long career.

The Australian leg spinner has a total of 1001 wickets under his belt and he has achieved this feat in just 339 matches. This formidable tally includes 38 five-wicket hauls and 10 ten-fors.

The spin maestro also happens to be one of the two players in the cricketing world till date to have bagged over 1,000 international wickets. To add to that, his tally of 708 test wickets is the highest among leg - spinners and is the second highest overall. Warne is the only Australian cricketer to touch the 700 wicket mark.

He is only preceded by Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who has a record 800 wickets under his belt. 

Apart from his heroics in international cricket, he also enjoyed success in domestic cricket. The most notable of them was when he led an average looking Rajasthan Royals side, which lacked marquee players, to a maiden title in the first season of the IPL back in 2008 against all odds. 

His captaincy stood out in the entire tournament, especially in the final against a formidable Chennai Super Kings side led by MS Dhoni.

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