Shane Warne created an air if invincibility around him according to former Test captain and his close friend Michael Clarke, who was still in shock on Monday waiting for the next text from the spin king that wonxjmtzyw’t come.
Clarke, who is 12 years younger than Warne, hit it off with the cricket legend from the moment the younger player made his Test debut in 2004 in India.
They were so close that Warne flew from London in 2012 for what he thought was a birthday party and it turned out to be Clarke’s wedding to former wife Kyly.
Clarke, who posted a message on social media over the weekend after Warne’s shock death from a heart attack before opening up on his Sydney radio show, revealed he was in the same shocked state as after the death of Phil Hughes, another close friend, and that it would still take time to sink in.
“I spoke to him two days ago before he got on that plane … nothing had changed, sounded the same, acted the same,” Clarke said.
“Then to all of a sudden get a phone call at 1am to find out he’d had a heart attack, just in complete shock.
“I’ve been in a similar position with what happened with Hughesy, it takes me time to comprehend. I’m still sitting here waiting for a text to see what the plan is this week, is he coming to Sydney?
“That will take time to sink in. For me at the moment it’s about trying to remember and talk about all the good things.”
Clarke regards Warne as the greatest player he played with and laughed as he recalled how Warne lived a “24/7” life and that sleep was “not his strength” off it.
“He nearly created this invincible feeling around him,” Clarke told the
“Everything was 24/7, it was so fast, he started the car in fifth gear. I don’t think there’s too many things Shane didn’t experience.
“He lived the highest of lives but he’s like everyone else. Very touchable, liked the simple things but walked into an environment, because of how good a cricketer he was, to meet anyone in the world.
“He got every minute out of every day.”
Clarke said despite Warne’s lifelong love of cigarettes and questionable diet he was “reasonably fit”.
“I think the hardest thing to comprehend is how quickly it’s happened,” Clarke said on the program.
“He was reasonably fit, Warnie, he went through stages where he’d put a bit of weight on, lose a bit of weight, but generally for 52 years of age, he was in pretty good nick.
