The England team led the tributes pouring in for Australia great Shane Warne, who has died aged 52 following a suspected heart attack.
Leg-spinner Warne – whose 708 Test wickets has only been surpassed by contemporary rival and fellow spinner Muttiah Muralitharan – could not be revived after being found unresponsive in his Thailand villa.
England are currently in the Caribbean, preparing for a three-Test series against the West Indies.
And ahead of the final day of their warm-up against a Cricket West Indies President’s XI, the players and umpires stood in the middle for a minute’s silence in honour of Warne.
David Lloyd, a former England coach and player, told talkSPORT: “Shane was generous to a fault. He lived life to the full, he was Peter Pan, but when it came to cricket, he was serious.
“He championed the game. He was serious about cricket but he wanted it to be fun. He wanted bowling to be fun, to smile at the opposition when they hit you for six.
“He had this God-given talent and he was so grateful for it that he always wanted to help other players.
“Any young spinner who came into the game at whatever level, he would go and talk to them, work with them, give them a pat on the back.
“He was an immense character, but as a player he was top of the tree. For me, he’s the best I’ve ever seen.”
Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene and current India captain Rohit Sharma also paid tribute to Warne.
Jayawardene labelled Warne one of the “greatest in our generation” on Twitter, while Sharma was lost for words at the death of a “champion of our game”.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis was “shocked and shattered” as he struggled to come to terms with the news.
He tweeted: “Very very sad day for our cricket community. The biggest superstar of my generation gone. Goodbye Legend @ShaneWarne #RIP Condolences to the family and friends.”
Shane Warne in pictures
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Australian cricketer Shane Warne has died. He was 52. Getty Images -
Shane Warne working as a TV pundit during a test match between Australia and Pakistan at The Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, in 2019. Getty Images -
Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley before Shane Warne's Australia took on Michael Vaughan's England in a T20 match at Cirencester Cricket Club in 2013. Getty Images -
Australia's Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne celebrate with the Ashes trophy in 2007. Action Images -
Australian captain Steve Waugh and vice captain Shane Warne during a ticker-tape parade through Melbourne, in celebration of the Australian cricket team's victory over Pakistan in the 1999 Cricket World Cup Final. Getty Images -
Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh and Shane Warne of Australia after victory over Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup Final at Lord's in London in 1999. Getty Images -
Shane Warne celebrates a Pakistan wicket in the Cricket World Cup Final at Lord's in London in 1999. Getty Images -
Shane Warne celebrates by dancing with a stump on the dressing room balcony after victory over England in the Fifth Ashes test match at Trent Bridge in 1997. Getty Images -
Shane Warne bowls to Graham Thorpe of England during the third test at Old Trafford in Manchester in 1997. Getty Images -
Shane Warne and Brian Lara of the West Indies in Australia in 1995. Getty Images -
Shane Warne after recording a career best 8 for 71 in the first Ashes test against England at the Brisbane Cricket Ground in Woolloongabba, in 1994. Getty Images -
Warne in action against Somerset in 1993. Getty Images -
Shane Warne in 1990. Getty Images
