Shane Warne rings the five-minute bell ahead of the start of play at Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain
Shane Warne rings the five-minute bell ahead of the start of play at Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain

Legendary cricketer Shane Warne passes away

Australian cricketer Shane Warne has died aged 52, Fox Sports reported on Friday.

Fox said that Warne's management had released a brief statement that he passed away in Thailand of a suspected heart attack.

Australia's Shane Warne bowls to England's Matthew Hoggard on the first day of the second Ashes test at Edgbaston in Birmingham, central England August 4, 2005

“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” the statement said.

“The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course."

Warne is regarded as one of the finest leg-spin bowlers of all time after a career in which he took 708 test wickets in a test career which span from 1992 to 2007.

Australia Captain Steve Waugh (left) holds aloft the World Cup with teamate Shane Warne and brother Mark Waugh

He later played in the Indian Premier League and other Twenty20 competitions before retiring from all international cricket in 2013 but continued to be involved in the game as a broadcaster.