"We grew up idolizing him and had posters of him on the wall"- Pat Cummins reacts to Shane Warne's sudden death
Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins revealed that his peers idolized Shane Warne and had posters of the legendary spinner on their walls while growing up. Warne passed away at the age of 52 during the early hours of Saturday in Hong Kong, reportedly due to a heart attack.
In the wake of the tragic incident, Aussie skipper Pat Cummins offered his deepest condolences to Warne's family and described the legendary leg-spinner in a few words. Warne's unique characteristics were highlighted by Cummins, along with his achievements as a player for Australia. Cummins said:
“Warny was an all-time great and a once-in-a-century kind cricketer. His records will live on forever. We all grew up idolizing him. We had posters of him on the wall. We love so much about Warny - his showmanship, his charisma, his tactics, the way he helped Australia win so many games, and above everything else he is an incredibly skilled leg-spinner."
He continued:
"Apart from the wickets he took and the games he helped Australia win, what he did was draw so many people to the sport."
The game will never be the same after Warne's passing: Pat Cummins
According to Pat Cummins, many current Australian players still view Shane Warne as a hero and consider him to be one of their all-time favorites. The 28-year old admitted that fans of Australian cricket are crestfallen due to both Rod Marsh and Shane Warne passing away.
Cummins sent best wishes to both families in these challenging circumstances and said:
“So many guys in this team and squad still hold him as a hero, their all-time favorite player. The loss that we are all trying to wrap our heads around is huge. It's been a tough couple of days for Australian cricket, with the passing of Rod. We just wish the best to both families. Especially Shane's parents and kids. The game was never the same after Warnie emerged and the game will never be the same after his passing.”
Cummins is currently leading the Australian team in the first Test of the 3-match series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. At the end of Day One, Pakistan reached 245/1 and are eyeing a big first-innings total.
You can get live match updates on the match here.