Australian captain Pat Cummins, currently leading the team on a tour of Pakistan, said legendary spinner Shane Warne, who died Friday, was "a hero" to the current generation of cricketers. "So many guys in this team and squad still hold him as a hero," he said in a video message released to media Friday night."The game was never the same after Warnie emerged, and the game will never be the same after his passing" said Cummins. The KKR bowler also penned a heartfelt tribute to the late spinner on Twitter. Shane Warne died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52. The former Australia spinner played 145 Tests and 194 ODIs between 1992 and 2007.
"It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand today, Friday 4 March. Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived. The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course," said a statement from Warne's management company MPC Entertainment. Warne, who was chosen as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Century, finished his career with 293 wickets in ODIs and 708 wickets in Tests, the most by a leg spinner in the format. Warne made his Test debut against India in Sydney in 1992 and followed it with an ODI debut against New Zealand in Wellington in March next year. The match against India didn't quite go according to play as Warne returned figures of 1 for 150 and was dropped for the next Test. He had featured in just four Sheffield Shield matches for Victoria before his Test but was quick to deliver on his early promise. As his career flourished, he went on to win the World Cup in 1999 and was the Player of the Match in the final against Pakistan with figures of 4 for 33.
