'He did it better than anyone' - Michael Clarke pays tribute to close friend Shane Warne

The sudden demise of Shane Warne has taken the cricket world by storm and condolence messages are pouring in from different corners. Aged 52, the Australian great passed away on Friday (March 4) due to a suspected heart attack in Thailand. With Warne being arguably the greatest leg-spinner ever, many prominent members of the cricket fraternity paid tribute to him. Former Australian captain Michael Clarke is the latest to open up about his ex-teammate’s death.

Notably, Warne was a senior member of the national team during Clarke’s early days and the duo have played a fair amount of cricket together. Remembering his close friend, the former batter asserted Warne taught him to celebrate life and enjoy the good times.

“He celebrated the journey,” Clarke said on the KIIS Kyle and Jackie O radio show. “That’s something I need to recognise more: you have to celebrate the good times. ‘Warnie did that on the field – the way he played – and off the field – the way he celebrated life. He did it better than anyone and if we can take one thing from his legacy, it’s to celebrate life,” he added.

Shane Warne’s death is hard to believe: Michael Clarke

Meanwhile, Clarke revealed that his publicity agent informed him about Warne’s demise. “To be honest, I recognise someone close to me has passed, but I don’t think I still comprehend it’s one of my best friends,’ Clarke said on Monday. It’s going to take a bit of time. It’s certainly still surreal. Because it happened so quickly, it’s so hard to believe, you know?” he said on Monday.

While Warne breathed his last at the age of 52, Clarke reckons his outgoing personality made him ‘lived a life worth 100 years’. “I think everyone that knows and loves him, we’ll be celebrating his life for days, months and years,” he stated. With 1001 wickets to his name, Warne stands second in the list of all-time highest wicket-takers in international cricket. He remained an active figure even after retirement, thanks to his commentary and coaching assignments.