Cricket is experiencing perhaps its most bitter hours!
Within less than a day, cricket fans worldwide have to say goodbye to two absolute legends of their sport. First Rod Marsh (74) died on March 4 in Australia. On the same day Shane Warne (52) left the world in unusual circumstances in Thailand.
In his last post, Warne said goodbye to Marsh with emotional words, calling him a “legend” and “inspiration to so many boys and girls.”
Marsh, too, suffered from a heart attack last week and was in an induced coma until his death at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Just 13 hours later, Warne, one of the greatest cricketers of all time and number three on the five-wicket haul list, suffered a cardiac arrest at his villa in Koh Samui in Thailand and could not be revived.
The 52-year-old was considered one of the best spin bowlers in the history of cricket. He was a pillar of the Australian teams that dominated in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Shane Warne: The Ball of the Century
The man from Upper Ferntree Gully in Victoria (Australia) impressed with his ability to outwit opposing batsmen time and again. He was seen as the most intimidating and one of the friendly mates on a cricket field.
His opening ball in the 1993 Ashes Series at Old Trafford in Manchester is a legendary event in cricketing history. The remarkable ball changed everything and also, it was called the ball of the century.
In the match against England – played in Test cricket format – he bowled a spin ball that drifting away, landed wide of batsman Mike Gatting on the ground and hit the off stumps.
Despite his antics off the field, however, his sporting achievements remain undisputed. Back in 2007, Cricket Australia and Sri Lanka Cricket renamed the Australia-Sri Lanka Test Cricket Series the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.
The cricket world honours Warne for his character as a player as well as an incredible and genuine human being. He was a larrikin who knew how to make his presence felt and influence others.