Australian Cricket Legend Shane Warne Dies Aged 52

Australian cricket legend Shane Warne is confirmed to have passed away after being found unresponsive in his villa in Thailand.

Warne's management confirmed the news in a statement, saying he was in Koh Samui at the time and that despite 'the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived'.

The cricketer, who was just 52 years old, is said to have died of a suspected heart attack.

Tributes quickly began flooding in for Warne following the news of his death, with one fan writing: "Still reeling from the #shanewarne news. The greatest bowler of all time in my opinion and became a fantastic member of the punditry team on TV. A monumental loss to sport."

Another commented: "Shane Warne. You will be missed legend. Your contribution to the cricket will always be remembered. Gone too soon."

Gary Lineker was also among those paying tribute to Warne as he described himself as 'terribly saddened and shocked' to hear the news, adding: "The greatest spin bowler of all time. Can’t quite believe it. RIP Shane".

The loss of Warne marks the second devastating blow for Australian cricket within a matter of hours as fellow great Rod Marsh also passed away today (4 March) after suffering a major heart attack last week.

Warne had paid tribute to his fellow sportsman just hours before his own passing, writing on Twitter: "Sad to hear the news that Rod Marsh has passed. He was a legend of our great game & an inspiration to so many young boys & girls.

Rod cared deeply about cricket & gave so much-especially to Australia & England players. Sending lots & lots of love to Ros & the family. RIP mate."

Warne's management has said his family 'requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course'.

Warne played his first test match in 1992 and throughout his career made more than 300 appearances for Australia across all formats.

He captained the Australian national team in One Day Internationals and played domestic cricket for his home state of Victoria, as well as English domestic cricket for Hampshire, where he led the team as captain for 3 seasons from 2005 to 2007.

Warne earned a reputation as one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history, having taken 708 Test match wickets and 293 One-Day International wickets. In 1999, Warne helped Australia win the Cricket World Cup.