Joe Root left shocked after ‘idol’ Shane Warne passes

Joe Root admitted he idolised Shane Warne in his youth and so he and the rest of England’s dressing room have been rocked by the death of the former Australia leg-spinner at the age of 52.

Warne was unable to be revived after suffering a suspected heart attack at his Koh Samui villa in Thailand on Friday but leaves an indelible mark on cricket, having taken 708 wickets in 145 Tests between 1992 and 2007.

He was particularly influential against England with 195 wickets – the most by any bowler in the Ashes – and while Australia slipped to a 2-1 defeat in the famous 2005 series, Warne was in breathtaking form with 40 dismissals.

A teenager growing up in Sheffield at the time, Root – currently in the Caribbean preparing for England’s Test series against the West Indies which starts next week – was awestruck by Warne’s performances.

Speaking on the final day of their warm-up against a Cricket West Indies President’s XI in Antigua, the England Test captain said: “It’s shocked us all in the dressing room. It’s hard to know what to say, really.

“My experiences of Shane were of someone who absolutely loved the game. Growing up he was a massive idol of mine and someone you wanted to emulate. The way he could win a game on his own, his skill levels were incredible.

“Certainly as a young kid watching him play, I’d have been 14 when the 2005 Ashes were on, in many ways that series was a massive influence on my career.

“The way he captured the nation, along with the whole of that series…his phenomenal performances were the sort of things that make you want to get into the game and play at the highest level.”