Former Australian captain Mark Taylor has been left stunned by the tragic death of former teammate Shane Warne after being woken by a series of phone calls with the news.
The spin king was pronounced dead after being found unresponsive in his villa in Koh Samui, Thailand, where he was holidaying with friends.
Taylor had the pleasure of sharing a dressing room with Warne for the majority of the 90s and was the leg spinner’s longest-serving Test captain.
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“I think the cricket world, not just here in Australia but around the world are in shock,” Taylor told Nine’s Today.
“Firstly from obviously the passing of Rod Marsh last week. I have actually been off the grid myself. I have been down in Tasmania. Only got back last night.
“I thought my phone was buzzing this morning at sort of 5.30 to 6am to get my thoughts on obviously the passing of the legend Rod Marsh and now it is Shane Warne. I really can’t believe it.”
Warne took 199 of his 708 Test wickets under Taylor’s leadership between 1994 and 1999, and Taylor explained how the Victorian native helped Australia rise to the top of world cricket.
“Warnie is one of the few people in any sport who gets to change the game and that’s what Warnie did. He changed the game,” Taylor said.
“He got to change the game because at that time the game was dominated by fast bowling.
“The West Indies were the yardstick in world cricket. They had four or five quicks every time you played them and they would blast you out. They were very good. They had exciting batting but they were all about fast bowling.
“Warnie gave Australia a point of difference and showed the world the subtleties of the game of Test cricket. I was so privileged to have that at my disposal as captain.”
Despite being Warne’s captain, Taylor was great mates with Warne and said the pair’s shared love of beer helped them strike up a strong connection.
“I really can’t believe it,” he said of Warne’s tragic death.
“When Warnie came onto the scene, he was a tubby sort of reddish hair guy who loved to smoke, loved a beer. I was never a smoker but I loved a beer and still do. I think that is where Warnie and I really struck up a great friendship.
“I was lucky that I got to captain him and by playing cricket here at the MCG in the 1980s I got to understand slow bowling because we had three very good slow bowlers ourselves.
“So I got a good feel for slow bowling, how you needed to work with them and how field settings were key. Warnie really appreciated it.
“When we were out on the field, it was a great challenge as captain to have Warnie there, but also someone so engaging as Warnie.”
Due to Warne’s larger-than-life personality, Taylor admitted that he, like many, believed Warne was somewhat invincible.
“You always felt that Warnie would just go on,” he said.
“He has had a turbulent life but a very full life. He had been through all sorts of scandals. He mesmerised us with his bowling and his competitive nature on the field.
“We have loved that real ocker side of Shane Warne. You just felt, I certainly did, he would go on forever.
“It is a huge shock for me and it is a huge shock for the cricketing world.”
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Shane Warne’s life in pictures: From Victoria boy to Aussie ‘Spin King’
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