Australian cricket great Shane Warne had experienced chest pains prior to his death in Thailand and had a history of asthma and some heart issues, according to Thai Police.
People pay their respects at the base of a statue of former Australian cricket great Shane Warne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in Melbourne on March 5, 2022.
Photo: AFP or licensors
Warne, 52, died after a suspected heart attack at a villa on Koh Samui on Friday.
Yuttana Sirisomba, superintendent at the Bo Phut police station on Koh Samui, told reporters on Saturday he had been given medical information from Warne’s family.
Yuttana added that Warne had recently “seen a doctor about his heart”.
He said the Australian’s body would be transferred to Surat Thani on the Thai mainland on Sunday for an autopsy.
Yuttana said he did not know how long the autopsy would take.
“I am not sure as it depends on the doctor’s opinion,” he said.
He declined to comment when asked about the likely cause of death.
In this file photograph taken on December 28, 2006, Australian spinner Shane Warne waves to the crowd after playing his last Test Match on his home ground, the MCG, on the third day of the fourth cricket Test played in Melbourne.
Photo: AFP or licensors
Earlier, friends of Warne met with Thai Police at Bo Phut Police Station to discuss repatriating the Australian cricketing great’s body.
“We just really want to get Shane home,” Warne’s close friend, Andrew Neophitou, said.
Australian ambassador to Thailand Allan McKinnon and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) officials met twice with Royal Thai Police at Bo Phut Police Station on Saturday to discuss arrangements to return Warne’s body to Australia.
The second meeting went for more than two hours.
After the meeting, McKinnon spoke to journalists and thanked the police.
“I’m here on behalf of Shane Warne’s family and his travelling companions to thank Superintendent Yuttana and his team here at the Bo Phun Police Station and the hospital in Koh Samui for facilitating this process and getting Shane Warne back to Australia as quickly as possible,” he said.
“They have been very compassionate, very efficient, and very understanding.”
Earlier, consular officials met with Warne’s friends at the Samujana Villas where they had all been staying.
“DFAT is working with Thai authorities to confirm arrangements following his passing, assist with his repatriation and provide other assistance on the ground,” Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement.
Royal Thai Police told the ABC they were not treating Warne’s death as suspicious but wanted to complete a thorough investigation.
They said they would take statements from his friends and ask forensic officers to examine the villa.
Warne’s death came less than 24 hours after fellow cricket great Rod Marsh died in hospital, having suffered a heart attack last week.
The Australian men’s Test team observed a minute’s silence before the start of play on day two of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
The women’s ODI team paid its respects prior to its opening World Cup match against England in New Zealand.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a state funeral for “one of our greatest cricketers of all time” had been offered and would be organised by the federal and Victorian governments, Cricket Australia and Warne’s family.
In a statement, Mr Morrison said Warne brought “something magical” to Australia’s summers, and he was bewildered by the sad and sudden loss.
On Saturday afternoon, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the Great Southern Stand at the MCG would be renamed in Warne’s honour.
– ABC
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