Shane warne

Shane Warne (Australia) has sadly passed away today aged 52. It has been reported that he died of a heart attack at his Thailand villa in Koh Samui.

Warne is widely regarded as the greatest spin bowler of all time and broke a number of Guinness World Records titles during his career, many of which still stand today. These include;

Shane warne test match 2005

Most wickets taken by a bowler against one team in Test cricket

In 36 matches between 1993 and 2007, Shane Warne (Australia) took 195 Test wickets against England. 

The spinner’s 10,757 balls (1,792.5 overs) in matches involving the Ashes rivals included 11 five-fors, four 10-wicket matches and the so-called "Ball of the Century" on 4 June 1993.

His first delivery in his first Ashes Test bowled Mike Gatting after it turned extravagantly off the pitch at Old Trafford, Manchester, UK.

Most runs scored in a Test match career without a century (male)

Warne had scored a total of 3,154 runs without making a century, from 1992 to 2007 when he retired from international cricket. 

Warne scored 12 half-centuries at an average of 17.3. His test match high score of 99 came in 2001 against New Zealand agonizingly being caught on the boundary off the bowling of Daniel Vettori.

shane warne commentating

Remembering Shane Warne

In addition to his record titles, Warne was the second person to take 1,000 international wickets after Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), and was second on the all time wicket taking list for international cricket after Muralitharan.

After retiring from international cricket, Warne went into coaching, most recently leading the London Spirit in The Hundred. He was also well known for his punditry and played professional poker.

An iconic figure in Australian sport and the cricketing world, the news of Warne’s death has rocked the international cricket community.

Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma shared on Twitter that he is "truly lost for words here, this is extremely sad."

"An absolute legend and champion of our game has left us. RIP Shane Warne….still can’t believe it," he continued.

"A huge character and presence on the field, Shane Warne's brilliance was the kind that made you sit up and pay attention; his record titles are a testament to that. He made leg-spin cool and regardless of what team you support it was impossible not to marvel at the man's work with a cricket ball in his hand." - Will Munford, Sports Manager at Guinness World Records

Our thoughts are with Shane Warne's family and friends at this time.