Australian cricket legend Shane Warne died on Friday at the age of 52, according to media reports
Fox Cricket said he died in Koh Samui, Thailand, of an alleged heart attack.
According to the publication, Warne’s management issued a brief statement that he had died.
“Shane was found unresponsive at his villa and despite all the efforts of the medical staff, he could not be revived,” the statement said.
“The family wants privacy right now and will provide further details in a timely manner.”
Warne is considered one of the best footballers of all time, with 708 test gates in his 1992-1997 career.
He later played in the Indian Premier League and other Twenty20 competitions before retiring from all cricket in 2013, but continued to play as a broadcaster.
Warne’s death was the second major blow to Cricket Australia on Friday, after another Australian legend, Rodney Marsh, also died earlier in the day.
The cricket fraternity shocked Warn’s sudden death as messages continued to trickle down to social media websites.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam said it was “hard to believe” that Warne was gone. “Such a devastating loss for the cricket world. “He literally inspired generations with his magical twisting of his legs,” Azam wrote on Twitter.
Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakara also expressed distrust, saying he was “absolutely shocked and gutted” to hear about the death of a “legend and friend”.
The great in pace Waqar Younis shared similar feelings and said that this is a very, very sad day for our cricket community. The biggest superstar of my generation [is] gone”.
Meanwhile, Australian discoverer David Warner mourns the loss of “two legends” – Warn and Marsh – saying they left too early.
“I was lost in words and it’s extremely sad,” he tweeted.
Veteran Shahid Afridi expressed his “deepest condolences” to the Warne family.
With the death of the Australian legend, he said, “the game of cricket has lost what I now consider a university in spinning bowling.”
“I have been inspired by his bowling since the beginning of my career and it has always been a privilege to play against him,” Afridi added.
More to come