'A special sportsman' - Kevin Pietersen pays emotional tribute to Shane Warne

Shane Warne’s sudden demise has left the entire cricket world in shock. Arguably the greatest leg-spinner to have ever stepped onto the cricket field, Warne, aged 52, passed away due to a suspected heart attack on March 4. With the Australian great being such a prominent figure, condolences and tributes poured in from different corners. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen is the latest to join the bandwagon.

Taking to Instagram on Monday (March 8), Pietersen shared a throwback picture with Warne alongside a heartfelt message. Calling Warne a special sportsman, the 41-year-old lauded the legendary leg-spinner’s dedication towards the game and understanding of ‘special’ things. The comment section got flooded in no time as fans were left heart whelmed.

“He played hard and I mean VERY hard, but he always congratulated you if you did something pretty special! Just a special sportsman, competitor & person! Love ya, Shaunie!” read the caption of the post. Notably, Warne and Pietersen played a lot of cricket against each other and were known to share a great bond.

 

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A post shared by Kevin Pietersen 🦏 MBE (@kevinpietersen)

Shane Warne was a great admirer of Kevin Pietersen’s skills

In fact, Warne was also a great admirer of Pietersen right from his early days. The spin legend even stated that he never sledged the England star as he wanted him to do well.

“I was one of KP’s leading voices. I remember coming out and saying, ‘Right, come on, England have got to pick Kevin Pietersen’. And I was lucky enough that they did, not because of what I said but it was lucky enough that they picked KP, that he showed what he could do in the one-dayers,” Warne had said on a Sky Sports Watchalong of the Edgbaston Test in the 2005 Ashes.

“I never really sledged KP because I wanted him to do well. I saw him as one of my players at Hampshire so I wanted him to do well. I never really sledged him at all,” he had added.