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Cricket Players'I hit him for boundary. Didn't take pressure but always knew he was No. 1': Ex-Pakistan captain recalls facing Warne
The Victoria state government is planning to host a state memorial service for Warne on March 30 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Tributes from across the world have continued to pour in for Shane Warne since his death, with members of the cricket fraternity describing the spin icon as one of the greats to have played the sport. Warne died at the age of 52 while on holiday on the Thai island of Koh Samui, sending shockwaves around the cricketing world.
Warne was taken to the Thai International Hospital Samui but despite medical efforts, he could not be revived. On Monday, police said an autopsy had found "the death was due to natural causes". He is often credited for reinventing the art of spin bowling. Since making his debut in 1992, Warne played 145 Tests for Australia, picking up 708 wickets with his leg-spin. In his 194 ODI appearances, he snared 293 scalps.
Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt labelled Warne as a "match-winner" and recalled his encounter with Warne. Butt, who represented Pakistan between 2003 and 2010, remembered hitting Warne for a boundary on the first delivery he faced, further adding that the legendary tweaker was one of the best to have braced the game.
"Before facing Warne, I played Usman (Abdul Qadir's son) a lot. He used to bowl with a taped ball to help me prepare for Warne. The majority of Pakistan cricketers face trouble while facing him in Australia. I had that preparation and was relatively confident. I hit him for a boundary at mid-wicket on the very first ball. Had it been a googly or flipper, I would not have been able to hit the four. But it was a leg-break. I didn't take the pressure but always knew that he was the No. 1 leg-spinner of his time," Butt said on his YouTube channel.
"He was probably one of the best players to have played the game. He was aggressive and a match-winner... and had leadership qualities as well. He also had decision-making qualities and was an inspiration to many cricketers. He was a legend and he will remain in people's minds forever," he further said.
The Victoria state government is planning to host a state memorial service for Warne on March 30 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Warne’s family issued a statement late Monday describing the night of his death on March 4 as the beginning of “a never-ending nightmare.”