Ricky Ponting paid tribute to the Australian cricketing great Shane Warne after he passed away from a suspected heart attack on Friday at the age of 52. Ponting and Warne were teammates for a large part of their career and played a crucial role in Australia’s domination in World Cricket.

The cricket World received bad news yesterday as Australian spin wizard Shane Warne passed away at the age of 52 due to a suspected heart attack in Thailand. Warne was a brilliant leg-spinner and used to bamboozle the opposition batsmen with his sharp turn. Ricky Ponting shared a major part of his career with Warne and the duo played an vital role in Australia’s domination in world cricket. 

Ponting, taking to his Twitter account after the demise of Warne revealed that the spinner was someone you could always count on. 

“Hard to put this into words. I first met him when I was 15 at the Academy. He gave me my nickname. We were teammates for more than a decade, riding all the highs and lows together. Through it all, he was someone you could always count on, someone who loved his family, someone who would be there for you when you needed him and always put his mates first,” Ponting wrote.

“The greatest bowler I ever played with or against. RIP King. My thoughts are with Keith, Bridgette, Jason, Brooke, Jackson and Summer.”

Earlier, Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy also paid tributes to Warne.