File photo of Shane Warne.© AFP
Legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram has heaped praise on spin great Shane Warne and also spoke about the equation he had with the late Australian player. Despite playing for different countries, Wasim and Warne were good friends. Warne was a family friend of Akram's Australian wife Shaniera Thompson. Akram, who married Shaniera in 2013, also revealed that Warne bought a property that belonged to Pakistani grandfather Tony Thompson and Greta's in-laws. He added that Warne lived a short distance from his home.
“Players and leaders like Shane Warne are not born into this world every day. I knew him personally very well. He lived just two minutes away from my house. In fact, I will tell you something interesting. Shane Warne bought his last house from my in-laws – Tony Thompson and Greta. He bought their house,” Akram told Sportskeeda.
It is worth noting that Warne holds the world record for picking the second most wickets in Test cricket. He claimed 708 wickets in 145 matches in the format.
What made it special was a surreal amount of spin that Warne coaxed out of the surface. Confronting him was nothing short of a nightmare for many hitters.
The spin great, who also led Rajasthan Royals to the Indian Premier League title in the inaugural edition in 2008, passed away in March 2022.
“There was only one Shane Warne. The passion, the knowledge of the game, the commitment to the game, the energy he brought, I don't think it's easy to match that. If I remember correctly, he led even Rajasthan Royals to the IPL trophy in the first season,” Akram said.
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