Shane Warne, the late legendary Australian cricketer, would have turned 55 today on September 13, 2024. Shane Warne, one of cricket's greatest players of all time, died unexpectedly on March 4, 2022, at the age of 52, shocking the cricketing world.
Warne, who revolutionized leg-spin bowling, was discovered motionless at his Thai villa after suffering a suspected heart attack. His passing sparked an outpouring of mourning from fans, teammates, and opponents, with tributes pouring in for the Australian icon.
Warne debuted in 1992 and rapidly established himself as one of the game's most influential bowlers. His career total of 708 Test wickets was a world record at the time of his retirement in 2007, and he is now third only to Muttiah Muralitharan and James Anderson on the all-time list.
Shane Warne’s daughter Brooke shared a heartwarming post on Instagram on her late father’s birthday.
“Happy heavenly birthday to you Dad I love you so much, today will always be your special day!”- Brooke posted.
Shane Warne's son Jackson also posted a wish for his dad, captioning the post: "Happy birthday dad @shanewarne23 #55"
On the other hand, Australian Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins paid a poetic tribute to the late great Shane Warne. In a video broadcast by cricket.com.au, the right-arm speedster read a lengthy poem about Warne's career, personality, and what he meant to the cricketing community.
The poem is titled "Lightning in a Bottle: An Ode to Shane Warne," written by Adam Burnett in 2022.
"For where to start with Shane Keith Warne, the other worldly gift. We could talk about the wicked spin, the endless flight, the drift. We could talk about the wickets, the bluster, the guile. We could talk about the character, the look, the hair, the smile. We could talk about the charisma. We could talk about the drama, the travail, and the strife. We could talk about the slider, the leg break, and the flipper. We could contemplate a world in which he was a full-time Aussie skipper,” Cummins is heard saying in the video.
ICC also posted a video featuring former England captain Nasser Hussain paying homage to the legend with a rendition of Rudyard Kipling's "If".
Not only this, Shane Warne also received a heartfelt tribute from his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals. Shane Warne had joined RR as captain-coach in IPL 2008 and took them to the title in the inaugural year. After retirement from IPL, Warne continued his association with RR as a mentor.
He was supposed to join up with the RR franchise ahead of IPL 2022 before his untimely passing.
Rajasthan Royals shared two posts on X, one wishing Shane Warne a happy birthday and also shared a video featuring some memorable moments.
