Shane Warne, a flamboyant player who made the world fall in love with his art of leg-spin bowling, died of natural causes at the age of 52 in Thailand, leaving the world shell-shocked. Regarded as the greatest spinner of all time, Warne picked up 708 wickets with his leg-spin for Australia in 145 Tests. In his 194 ODI appearances, he snared 293 scalps.
_(1)_1646985865099_1646985888155.jpg)
Warne redefined the spin bowling and 1000 international wickets in a testament to his prowess. The cricket fraternity is still in disbelief by Warne's sudden demise and Australia captain Pat Cummins has said the players are "invigorated" to follow the legendary cricketer's blueprint in terms of playing to bring victories for the team.
ALSO READ | 'He jumps straight back in the team': Bumrah singles out India star, hints at one major change in Playing XI
"Everyone is getting around each other, I think it hits home, those kind of moments gives us everyone clarity and perspective and if anything the way he played is a pretty good blueprint for every player who wants to be part of Test wins and win the games for teams.
"If anything, a few of those stories has hit home and invigorated a lot of the players," Cummins said on eve of the second Test against hosts Pakistan in Karachi.
{{/usCountry}}"If anything, a few of those stories has hit home and invigorated a lot of the players," Cummins said on eve of the second Test against hosts Pakistan in Karachi.
{{/usCountry}}Cummins also spoke about the debut of leg spinner Mitchell Swepson, who will come into the team as someone who grew up trying to replicate Warne. It's no secret that Warne remains a childhood hero for many budding players diving into the art of spin bowling.
"Yeah, I think everyone is still in disbelief. We have shared a lot of stories especially (Shane) Warnie who was a hero to a lot of our players growing up. He is still one of our favourite ever cricketers," said Cummins.
Swepson will replace Josh Hazlewood in the only change Australia made from the team which played to a tame draw on a flat wicket at Rawalpindi. The tweaker has taken 154 wickets in 51 first-class games at an average of 33.45
On Swepson's debut, the captain said, "I think it is quite special that someone like Mitchell Swepson is going to debut tomorrow as a leg spinner who grew up trying to replicate Warnie."
The first Test between Australia and Pakistan at Pindi Cricket Stadium saw only 14 wickets falling in 14 sessions. The surface was rated as “below average" by the International Cricket Council.