"For me, Shane Warne was arguably the greatest cricketer to ever play the game" - Nasser Hussain

Former England captain Nasser Hussain remembered Shane Warne following his untimely death on Friday. The cricketer-turned-commentator termed Warne as one of the greatest ever to play the game. Hussain added that there was hardly a dull moment when Warne was around.

The former Australian leg-spinner passed away on Friday in his villa in Thailand, shocking the cricketing fraternity. A statement by Fox Cricket revealed that Warne expired after a suspected heart attack. Famous cricketers worldwide have expressed their condolences to his family.

In his column for Sky Sports, Hussain said Warne seldom fail to entertain, and gave 'leg-spin' a new lifeline. The 53-year old also remembered how Warne bamboozled English batters with the 'flipper'. Hussain said:

"For me, he was arguably the greatest cricketer to ever play the game. The game is about entertaining people, and there was never a dull moment when Shane Warne had the ball in his hand. He was absolutely genius. Leg spin was a dying art before he burst onto the scene; we had never heard of a 'flipper', and then suddenly he used to set us up with it."

"He'd bowl us a ball that was short and you'd think 'ah, Shane has lost it today', and then the very next ball was the flipper, and it was through us. He was an outstanding cricketer."

With 708 wickets at an average of 25.41 in 145 Tests, the 52-year-old is the second-highest wicket-taker in Test history. Warne, who played alongside Nasser Hussain on many occasions, loved playing against England. Against the arch-rivals, he took 195 wickets in 36 Tests at an average of 23.26, taking 11 fifers.

"Shane Warne had everything in abundance" - Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain. (Image Credits: Getty)

The former England batter recollected the memorable 2005 Ashes series when Warne showcased his best with the bat and ball. Nasser Hussain said that the leg-spinner was a complete cricketer, adding:

"When Australia really needed him in that 2005 Ashes series, when England were all over them, and they were crumbling, there was one Aussie that stood up and said 'not today'."

"He got wickets by the shed load; he got runs by the shed load too, and he showed a lot of fight and a lot of character. Some people are brilliant at the game; some people are genius; some people have fight. Shane Warne had everything in abundance."

The 2005 Ashes series was one of the most enthralling ones of all time as England regained the urn after 18 years. Shane Warne was Australia's Player of the series for a jaw-dropping 40 wickets in five Tests.