'Just doesn’t feel real' - Michael Vaughan bids emotional goodbye to 'great friend' Shane Warne

They belonged to two old rivals on the field but when it came to the news about the death of Shane Warne, former England captain Michael Vaughan couldn’t resist from expressing his shock on social media. He was among many who mourned the sudden demise of the legendary Australian leg-spinner of a suspected heart attack in his villa in Thailand on Friday, March 4. He was 52.

Vaughan was the captain of the England side which had recovered the Ashes from Australia after years in 2005. In that fiercely fought series in England, Warne had excelled with both the ball and bat and was one of the two players of the series chosen apart from Andrew Flintoff.

‘He was loyal beyond loyal’

However, when he heard about the news of his on-field opponent passing away, Vaughan came up with a long heartfelt message on his Instagram post in which he said, “…it’s just doesn’t feel real to be talking about someone who once was an enemy on the pitch to one who became a great friend off it .. Shane was the greatest ever cricketer but more than that his character lit up every dressing room , comm box , bar , golf club & friendship group .. his energy & positivity was beyond anyone I have ever known .. he was loyal beyond loyal…”

 

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Vaughan, a veteran of 82 Tests, served as a co-commentator and cricket analyst with Warne on various occasions. They have been seen sharing light moments while

Warne was reportedly found unresponsive at his home and the medical staff members failed to revive him despite trying their best. His death came just hours after the passing away of former Australia wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh. Warne himself had condoled the death of Marsh on Twitter before the news of his own death became viral.

Warne took more than 1,000 international wickets, including 708 in the long format which he played for 15 years (1992-2007). He was also a force in the one-day version and picked almost 300 wickets in that. He was a member of the World Cup-winning Australian side in 1999 and also led Rajasthan Royals to win the inaugural Indian Premier League title in 2008.