Australian Sports Commission mourns cricketing greats

05 March 2022

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is mourning the passing of Australian cricketing legends Shane Warne and Rod Marsh and sends our thoughts to family, friends and the broader Australian sporting community.

ASC Chair Josephine Sukkar said Warne, 52, and Marsh, 74, were cricketing greats who transcended sport.

“Rod Marsh and Shane Warne were Australian icons who were both loved and revered around the world.

“Their sporting achievements are part of the fabric of our country and each in their own way revolutionised the game of cricket.

“Both had an involvement with the AIS Cricket Academy and their style of play and character inspired Australians over generations. We can only imagine how many Australian children grew up wanting to bowl like Warnie or keep like Bacchus in the backyard, then took that enthusiasm to cricket pitches around Australia.

“On behalf of everyone at the Australian Sports Commission, I send the deepest condolences to Rod and Shane’s families and friends, the Australian Cricket Community and to all the many fans who loved watching them play.”

As one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Shane Warne honed his craft at the Australian Institute of Sport’s Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide, before, after just seven first class matches, earning his first baggy green in 1992.

“The Ball of the Century” a year later cemented his place in the record books and in the hearts of cricket fans around the globe. Children everywhere dreamed, and still dream today, of being able to master the Warnie Flipper.

As well as inspiring boys and girls across the country to pick up the wicketkeeping gloves, Marsh shaped generations of developing cricketers at the AIS Cricket Academy, beginning as a coach at its inception in 1987 and then serving as Director from 1990 to 2001.

Image of Rod Marsh and Shane Warne (Getty Images)