Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting paid a tribute to his former teammate Shane Warne who passed away of a suspected heart attack aged just 52 on Friday. Warne’s sudden demise shocked the cricketing community as the legendary spinner was enjoying a vacation in Thailand where he was found unresponsive at a luxury resort in Koh Samui.
Ponting played a lot of cricket with Warne for Australia and he was also his captain during the legendary spinner’s final playing days. The duo shared great camaraderie both on and off the field.
The former Aussie captain remembered his good friend who he first met at age of 15 and stated they both shared all the highs and lows of the career together.
“Hard to put this into words. I first met him when I was 15 at the Academy. He gave me my nickname. We were teammates for more than a decade, riding all the highs and lows together,” Ponting wrote on Instagram with a couple of photos with Warne.
The two-time World Cup-winning captain further said that Warne was someone who always puts his teammates first and everybody counted on him.
“Through it all he was someone you could always count on, someone who loved his family. Someone who would be there for you when you needed him and always put his mates first,” he added.
Ponting further offered his condolences to the late cricketers’ family members.
“The greatest bowler I ever played with or against. RIP King. My thoughts are with Keith, Bridgette, Jason, Brooke, Jackson and Summer,” he wrote.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday said Australians were “bewildered” by a “sad and sudden loss” of Warne, and announced the cricketing hero would receive a state funeral.
Warne played 145 Tests in total over a 15-year career, taking 708 wickets, and was also an effective lower-order batsman, with a highest Test score of 99.
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