Anupama Nair
www.mediaeyenews.com
This year like 2020 was a year when many of our favorite people passed away. On the 6th of February our beloved Lata didi who is considered as the avatar of Mata Saraswati left for her heavenly abode leaving us all in eternal grief. On the 4th of March Shane Warne bid farewell to go to his final resting place leaving everyone of his fans including me in shock. I still remember watching the encounter between Warnie (as he was lovingly called) and the ‘god of cricket’ – Sachin Tendulkar. Warnie himself said Tendulkar always got the better of him.
Shane Keith Warne was an Australian cricketer. He is widely considered as one of the greatest spin bowlers in the history of cricket and in the year 2000 he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of five Wisden cricketers of the century, and he was the only specialist bowler and the only one still playing at the time. Warne was born in Melbourne on 13th September 1969, as the son of Bridgette and Keith Warne. His mother was a German.
Warne played his first Test match in 1992 and took more than 1,000 wickets in test cricket and one day internationals (ODIs). Warnie’s 708 test wickets was the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in test cricket till 2007. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 1994 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, and was the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 1997 and 2004. He was also a useful lower-order batsman, and scored more than 3,000 Test runs, with a highest score of 99 and remained the highest test-run scorer without a century. He not only played internationally but also played domestic cricket for his home state of Victoria and County Cricket for Hampshire. He was the captain of Hampshire for three seasons from 2005 to 2007. Warne retired from international cricket in January 2007 at the end of Australia's 2006–2007 Ashes series victory over England. His career was plagued by scandals off the field, including a ban from cricket for testing positive for a prohibited substance, charges of bringing the game into disrepute by accepting money from bookmakers and sexual indiscretions.
In 2007, Warne was named in Australia's greatest ever ODI team. He also played in the first four seasons (2008–2011) of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals, and he played the roles of both captain and coach, winning the competition in 2008. Warne was named in an all-time Test World XI, in the 150th anniversary of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, and in 2012, he was also inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame by Cricket Australia. Later in 2013, Warne was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. In a fan poll conducted by the Cricketers' Almanack in 2017, he was named in Australia’s best Ashes XI in the last 40 years. In February 2018, the Rajasthan Royals appointed Warne as their team mentor for the IPL 2018.
Warne tried to change the world’s thinking with his mastery of leg spin, which had come to be regarded as a dying art. He worked regularly as a cricket commentator, predominantly on Australia's Nine Network, after his retirement. His commentary fascinated me. He worked for charitable organizations and also endorsed commercial products. In recognition of his skill, a statue of him bowling was placed outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Warne married Simone Callahan in 1995, and they share three children together – Brooke, Jackson and Summer. After divorcing Simone in 2005 due to his affair with Elizabeth Hurley, Warne said his celebrity status had made it hard for him to find love again.
Warne was having a vacation in Thailand. On the fateful day, his friends and manager Andrew Neophitou knocked at his door and found him unresponsive. His manager attempted CPR in a bid to revive him before an ambulance arrived. Warne was taken to the Thai International Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Chatchawin Nakmusik of the Bo Put police told Reuters that Warne’s body had been transferred to another hospital for autopsy and his friends would be questioned by police. It is said he died of suspected heart attack. His family requested privacy in this difficult time.
RIP Warnie, you will live in our hearts forever!
