Shane Warne’s long-term manager reveals details of cricket legend’s shock death

Shane Warne’s death has shocked the cricketing world but his long-term manager and friend has shared the details of his final moments.

James Eskine revealed Warne's final moments. Photo: Fox Sports

Shane Warne’s long-time manager James Erskine has revealed the harrowing details of telling the cricketing legend’s family that he had died in Thailand.

The cricket world was left in shock and devastation as the 52-year-old’s death of a heart attack became clear.

Warne was found unresponsive in a villa on Koh Samui on Friday afternoon when one friend reportedly tried to wake him to no avail.

It came just days after Warne had declared he was aiming to return to peak fitness again.

But speaking on a memorial show on Fox Cricket, close friend James Erskine revealed that Warne was only just starting a three-month break.

Warne’s long time manager Erskine revealed he broke the shocking news to Warne’s family.

Shane Warne with his kids. Picture: Instagram

“I got a phone call at 10.37 last night from our guy in Melbourne, a guy named Andrew Neophitou who was actually with Shane in Thailand,” Erskine said. “Shane had decided he was going to take three months off – he wanted a year off and I said ‘there’s no way you can have a year off, they’ll have forgotten about you by a year’.

“So he decided he was going to have a year off and this was just the start of it. They’d only arrived the night before. They were going to have a drink at 5 o’clock … and Neo knocked on his door at 5.15 because Warney’s always on time and then he went in there and said ‘c’mon, you’re going to be late’ and then realised something was wrong.

“He turned him over, gave him CPR mouth-to-mouth, that lasted about 20 minutes, then obviously the ambulance came, they took him to the hospital, which was about 20 minutes drive and then within, I suppose, I got a phone call 45 minutes later to say he was pronounced dead.”

As a close friend and manager, Erskine also had the responsibility of informing his friends and family of the cricket legend’s passing.

“My mind works quite clinically,” Erskine said. “Talking to Keith (Warne’s father) last night, when his son was dead and he was going to see the three children.

“Talking to Brooke and to Jackson (Warne’s children) and I was not going to tell them that their father was dead but he wasn’t at that point pronounced dead. I said it looks pretty grim.

“Simone had gone to pick up the youngest child Summer and we then called Simone and said ‘better tell them when you’re all together that Shane has passed away’.

“It’s one of these things where someone said to me that when someone is larger than life, you don’t expect them to die. I think that’s probably a very good analogy. You don’t expect someone to die at 52 years old. You don’t expect Shane Warne to die because he was an extraordinary human being.”

James Eskine revealed Warne's final moments. Photo: Fox Sports

Erskine said that he had great respect for Mark Taylor as a captain.

He also gave greater insight into his commentary and opinions on cricket, pointing to his criticism of Mitchell Starc before the last Ashes series.

Erskine said he told Warne “you were wrong about Mitchell Starc,” to which Warne replied “I probably was but I probably helped him get better”.

His long-time manager and friend called him an “extraordinary bloke”.

“The great thing about Shane Warne was that he could speak to the Queen of England and a dustbin man exactly the same way,” he said. “That was his great ability. I could almost bet that he could convince the Queen to take out his dustbins. He was that sort of character.”

Warne’s mum Brigette told the Herald Sun: “We’re just in shock. We’re OK.”

Speaking on the Fox Cricket memorial commentator Mark Howard said Warne was “a many many different things to many many different people”, from cricket legend, to doting father, to loyal friend, to icon for children who followed his every move.

Kerry O'Keeffe struggled to get through his initial comments. Photo: Fox Sports

Leg spinning great Kerry O’Keeffe also teared up as he spoke of his sadness about Warne’s death.

“The great Richie Benaud once said ‘don’t ever use the word tragedy in a cricket commentary situation’,” he said with a tear in his eye.

“Today is a tragedy. We’ve lost one of our greatest ever at 52.”

Former Australian captain Mark Taylor said the loss was “sinking in slowly”.

“I’m deeply saddened that I’m not going to see him again, I spoke to AB (Allan Border) a short time ago and we shared that sentiment.