Shane Warne always put his mates first: Ricky Ponting pens heartfelt tribute to his former Australia teammate

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting penned a heartfelt tribute to his formrer teammate Shane Warne who passed away at a Thailand villa on Friday, sending shock waves through the cricket community.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting penned a heartfelt tribute to Shane Warne after the legendary leg-spinner passed away due to a suspected heart attack in Thailand on Friday. Ponting, who skippered Warne to multiple victories for Australia, said the leg-spinner always put his teammates first.

A family statement said Warne was unconscious at a Thailand villa and pronounced dead when he was taken to a hospital. Warne's untimely demise sent shock waves through the cricket fraternity with messages of condolences pouring in.

Warne played 34 Tests under Ponting's captaincy and picked up 200 wickets out of his total of 708. The two cricketers shared a wonderful rapport.

"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. The greatest bowler I ever played with or against. RIP King. My thoughts are with Keith, Bridgette, Jason, Brooke, Jackson and Summer," Ponting said in his social media post on Saturday.

...someone who would be there for you when you needed him and always put his mates first.The greatest bowler I ever played with or against.RIP King. My thoughts are with Keith, Bridgette, Jason, Brooke, Jackson and Summer. pic.twitter.com/sxhUAf6kzB

Earlier on Friday, Shane Warne's contemporary and great rival, Muttiah Muralitharan, speaking to India Today, mourned the loss of the Australian cricketer, saying no one had contributed more to spin bowling than the leg-spinner.