Former India opener Wasim Jaffer was left in utter disbelief and shock, like all of us, when he learned that the legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne had passed away. Fox Cricket reported that Warne was found unresponsive in his villa in Thailand of a ‘suspected heart attack’ with a later statement coming from Warne’s management confirming his demise.
Shane Warne had made his debut against India in 1992, and went on to become arguably the greatest bowler in the history of the game, claiming 1001 international wickets – 293 in ODIs and 708 Test wickets – a tally only bettered by Sri Lanka’s Muralitharan who snared 1347 international dismissals.
Wasim Jaffer penned down a heartfelt tweet for the spin wizard on Friday evening as soon as the news of Warne’s passing away broke out. Jaffer quoted one of the famous lines about Warne: “Whenever he came to the wicket, change came over the game of Cricket”
He added that he couldn’t still process that the iconic cricketer is no more with them and felt that Warne had left too soon at aged 52, further offering condolences to his family.
“My mind just cannot accept that Shane Warne is no more. Gone too soon.. Thoughts and prayers with his family and friends..RIP Warnie,” Jaffer tweeted.
Here, check out Wasim Jaffer’s emotional tweet:
“Whenever he came to the wicket, change came over the game of Cricket”
My mind just cannot accept that Shane Warne is no more. Gone too soon.. Thoughts and prayers with his family and friends..RIP Warnie ?? pic.twitter.com/YgfvY1WaS0
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) March 4, 2022
Although Warne had a disappointing debut versus India, going for 150 runs for just one wicket, he went on to show his talent in a year’s time helping Australia defeat West Indies at home and won a close Test in Sri Lanka.
Then came the “Ball of the century”: his first ball in Ashes cricket, in 1993 at Old Trafford, Warne bamboozled Mike Gatting, one of the best England batters, with a delivery pitching outside leg-stump and turning about two feet to hit the top of off. Gatting stood there confused, not realising what had happened.
That would be the state of batters in the coming 15 years when he would trouble them, outfox them, make them feel like lesser batters. He capped off his Australia career with a 5-0 home Ashes win in 2007.
He would continue to play in T20 leagues, leading Rajasthan Royals to the inaugural IPL title in 2008. He played in the BBL as well before calling time in 2013. Warne then entered the commentary field and was a vocal pundit, voicing opinions in broadcasts as well as on social media about the game and the players.
Also Read: Sachin Tendulkar Gave An Emotional Tribute To Spin Legend Shane Warne
