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Cricket Players'Didn’t say it to him, wish I did’: Ponting reveals three words he regrets not saying to Warne before his untimely death
Ponting revealed how the news of Warne's untimely death has affected him and revealed what he would have told Warne had he had one final conversation with the legend.
The entire cricket fraternity was rocked by the shocking demise of Australia cricket legend Shane Warne, and his former teammate Ricky Ponting continues to struggle to comprehend the untimely death. Warne passed away, aged 52, on Friday of a suspected heart attack while holidaying in Thailand.
Speaking to former cricketer Isa Guha on the latest edition of The ICC Review, Ponting revealed how the shocking news has affected him and revealed what he would have told Warne had he had one final conversation with the legend.
"I would say just how much I love him," a teary-eyed Ponting said when asked what he would told Warne if he had a chance for one final conversation. "I didn't say that to him and I wish I did."
Warne was found unresponsive in a villa in Thailand where one of his friends found him and despite their frantic efforts to revive the former cricketer, they failed before he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The news of Warne's death came less than 24 hours after world cricket lost another Aussie great Rod Marsh, to whom Warne had paid an emotional tribute in his final Twitter post.
"I woke up nice and early I was getting the kids ready to go to netball and Rianna (Ponting’s wife) looked at her phone and told me the news about Warney," he said.
"I grabbed the phone out of her hand to look at it and I couldn’t believe it and it is still the same now.
"It was so raw to me I couldn’t really speak and every time I thought about him and our experiences and our journey together and I just got short for words.
"Even today I have had the TV on watching the tributes, but every time I hear his voice I have to turn it off.
"It's been a tough couple of days, but it makes us a bit more aware of things I probably need to pay more attention to and there is stuff there for all of us to learn.”
The former Australian captain also hailed Warne for his positive attitude towards the game and eagerness to help the youngsters.
"He was a teacher through his commentary and I’ve seen hundreds of photos over the last 24 hours of all the spinners he worked with,” Ponting said. “He helped Steve Smith in his younger days and Rashid Khan has been catching up with him - just imagine the conversations they would have had."
