Legendary weirdo Muttiah Muralitharan said he couldn’t process the news of Shane Warne’s death on Friday. Speaking to Peppystores, Muralitharan said Warne’s passing was a great loss for the sport’s lovers.
Shane Warne, on Friday, died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52. The acclaimed leg spinner was at a villa in Thailand when doctors tried unsuccessfully to revive him. Warne’s untimely death was a hard pill for the cricket fraternity, which had idolized the legendary leg spinner, who mesmerized generations of fans and cricketers alike with the art he mastered.
Muralitharan and Warne were contemporaries racing through the list of all-time wicket-takers at their peak. While Warne stunned batsmen around the world, Murali wove magic with his off-spin as Australia and Sri Lanka won a string of matches thanks to the spinners’ genius. While Warne finished his career with 708 wickers, Muralitharan picked up 92 more.
Muralitharan said he was shocked, adding that Warne was fit and running when he last met the Australian leg spinner. The two were considered great rivals, but they shared an envious camaraderie off the field.
“He will go down in history as one of the greatest”
“It is shocking. I don’t know what to say. He is a good friend and also a legendary cricketer. What he has done for spin bowling is more than anyone. He will go down in history as one of the greats of the Age to Die. He was fit whenever I saw him. It’s sad for the whole cricket fraternity. It’s a big, big loss for the cricket fraternity,” Muraliharan told Peppystores.
“I saw him for the first time in 1992. He won a game for Australia in difficult times. Then I thought he was going to be a different bowler. This is shocking news for the world.”
Earlier in the day, big hitter Sachin Tendulkar comforted the death of his good friend and great rival Warne by writing a heartfelt post on social media.
“Shocked, stunned and unhappy,” Tendulkar wrote.
“Will miss you Warnie. There was never a dull moment with you, on or off the field. We will always cherish our duels on the field and our banter off the field. You always had a special place for India and Indians had a special place for you.”
As recently as Friday morning, Shane Warne had posted on social media offering his condolences to the family of another legendary Australian cricketer, Rod Marsh, who passed away on Thursday.
Warne, who has been active on social media, only posted from Thailand on Thursday evening. The legendary leg spinner shared a photo of the mansion he had stayed at in the Asian nation.
