Warne Death Anniversary: Cricket world remembers spin wizard

Sachin Tendulkar penned a heartfelt note to his on-field rival and off-field friend as the cricket world remembers Shane Warne on his first death anniversary.

The Australian spin legend died on March 4, 2022, after suffering a heart attack while holidaying in Thailand. Warne’s death sparked a stunning reaction from the cricket fraternity as fans, former teammates and rivals paid tribute to his untimely death.

The Indian batting maestro, Tendulkar, who shared great on-field rivalry with the Australian, spoke about his memories with Warne, with whom he shared an equally great camaraderie off the field.

“We have had some memorable battles on the field & shared equally memorable moments off it. I miss you not only as a great cricketer but also as a great friend. I am sure you are making heaven a more charming place than it ever was with your sense of humour and charisma, Warnie!” the batting great wrote in his tweet.

 

Meanwhile, the cricket fraternity paid rich tribute to Warne on his first death anniversary.

England Cricket, the official handle of Australia’s archrival England, kept it short but heartfelt as it tweeted, “Never forgotten, Warney.”

 

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardians of the laws of cricket, tweeted, “Today we remember one of the very best to play the game. Shane Warne will forever be in our thoughts.”

 

Former England batter and Ashes-winning skipper Michael Vaughan also tweeted, “RIP King … #Warney.”

“It’s bloody sad,” former Australian captain Mark Taylor told Wide World of Sports. “I didn’t realise it had been a year, to be honest. It’s gone so quickly.”

“I just want to say with this song tonight being in the MCG tonight and not having my friend Shane Warne here to watch this,” British pop star Ed Sheeran said while performing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). He also dedicated a song, his smash hit The A Team, to Warne.

Cricket Australia paid a touching tribute to two of its former players, Warne and wicket-keeper batter Rodney Marsh, who also passed away on the same day.

“We lost two icons of Australian cricket one year ago today. You are greatly missed, Rod and Warnie,” tweeted Cricket Australia.

 

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist also remembered Marsh as “the man who inspired me to chase a dream” and Warne as “the bloke who was a dream to have on your side”.

“To the man who inspired me to chase a dream and the bloke who was a dream to have on your side… may you both continue to #RIP,” Gilchrist tweeted.

 

One of the most talked about cricketers of his time, Warne was credited with reinventing the art of leg spin following his arrival on the international scene in the early 1990s.

Warne finished his international career in 2007 with 708 Test wickets and 293 One-Day International wickets. He was also the first cricketer to cross the 700 Test wicket mark.

Warne is second on the list of all-time international wicket-takers behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, who had 800 Test wickets along with 534 ODI wickets. The Lankan offie also had 13 T20I wickets from 12 matches.