Players are a valuable gem not only for their respective countries but also for the disciplines they pursue as part of their careers. When a player hits acme of perfection and starts gaining name and fame through the display of their talent on the world stage, s/he instantly becomes a cynosure of all sports lovers' eyes. The fans and sports-loving people praise and worship the player, further heightening his/her stature. When they depart, they leave a void in the sports arena and leave fans and sports enthusiasts feeling saddened.

The cricket world lost its legendary player when Shane Warne, referred to as the best leg-spin bowler, died of a suspected heart attack on Friday, leaving his fans and cricket aficionados in deep anguish. He was only 52 when he breathed his last. Credited with reviving the lost art of leg-spin, the untimely passing away of the former Australian cricketer, who remained a box-office attraction throughout his playing days for his mastery, has left a vacuum in the cricketing world. Warnie, as his mates call him lovingly, had burst into the international cricket scene when he was only 22 when Australia included him in its team in 1992 for the India Tour. The way he bowled his leg-spin to the world's best batsmen won him 708 Test wickets during his international career spanning 14 years. Besides his mouth-watering performance in Tests, he claimed 293 wickets in 193 one-day internationals he played between 1993 to 2005.

For his unbelievable exploits, Wisden, regarded as the Bible of cricket, rated him as one of the five best players of the century in 2000, placing him alongside Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Jack Hobbs, Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Viv Richards. The Melbourneian is known for bowling 'the ball of the century' to England captain Mike Gatting in one of the 1993 Ashes Tests, which made him noticeable to cricket pundits and fans' eyes and heralded his arrival on the world stage. The Australians rate him as the second-best Australian player only to legendary Sir Donald Bradman. Born in the Melbourne suburbs in 1969, Shane Keith Warne was part of Australia's World Cup-winning team in 1999 and played a crucial part in winning many Ashes series and other Test series across the world.  However, the cricketer brought himself into momentary disrepute by coming under the shadow of drug-taking and match-fixing. His exploits and talent, however, helped him bounce back quickly. 

Warne's untimely departure has invoked anguish, shock and a sense of loss among many renowned past and current cricket players. Batting greats Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Virat Kohli, Aussie captain Pat Cummins and many other well-known cricketers have expressed deep sorrow over his sudden death. The very stature of this cricketer can be surmised by another fact: The Australian Prime Minister has offered a state funeral for Warne, "a once-in-a-century- player."  This fine cricketer inspired a successive generation of fans while so many of the current players grew up idolising him. The cricketing world will miss, in the words of Cricket Australia chairman, "his unbelievable bowling skills, his humour, warmth and engaging personality. In this grim and sobering hour, we extend our deep and heartfelt condolences over the sudden and sad demise of one of the most talented and charismatic cricketers.