VALE THE KING OF SPIN

AS AUSTRALIANS – AND FANS AROUND THE WORLD – MOURN THE SUDDEN LOSS OF THE LOVEABLE CRICKET LARRIKIN, WHO CELEBRATES HIS EXTRAORDINARY LIFE ...

- Karleigh Smith

I LIKED LOUD MUSIC, I SMOKED, I DRANK AND I BOWLED A BIT OF LEG SPIN. I DON’T HAVE ANY REGRETS

RISE OF THE CRICKET LEGEND

With a slick of white zinc on his mouth and peroxide blond hair sticking out from a brand new baggy green, Shane Keith Warne burst onto the Aussie cricket scene in the early 1990s and rapidly became its poster boy.

At the time relatively unknown, the showy 22-year-old was feared and revered for his bowling skills with his legendary leg-spin. From Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to Lord’s in London, Warne’s global fan base grew as fast as his wickets fell, with Reuters even crediting him as the man who “made the sport of cricket sexy again”.

In the 30 years since, Warne became just as famous for his scandalous exploits as his razzle-dazzle on the cricket pitch. He recently excitedly told his mates that he was settling into a “calmer” new phase of his life – before he suddenly, tragically, passed away, aged just 52.

Warne was on a Thailand boys’ trip and was found unresponsive in his Koh Samui villa on March 4 by friends, who worked desperately for 20 minutes to resuscitate him. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced Australia’s most prolific bowler dead. His stunned management team announced in the dark of night that the King of Spin was no more, with Aussie fans waking up to the devastating news that sombre Saturday morning – a day few will soon forget.