Three years after his death, cricketer Shane Warne’s legacy lives on with heart health checks

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Cricketer Shane Warne’s legacy lives on more than three years after the death of the great spin bowler from a heart attack at the age of 52.

Warne died in March 2022 after suffering cardiac arrest while on holiday on the Thai island of Koh Samui.

The cause of his sudden death led his business team and family to unite to honor his life and create Shane Warne Legacy. The charity set up free heart health checkup machines at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the past two Boxing Day tests.

The results of the stadium checks, along with 311 community pharmacy stations across Australia, were analyzed as part of a Monash University-led study. A total of 76,085 people were screened across seven weeks from mid-December 2023 to the end of January 2024, including 7,740 at the MCG.

The research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on Friday showed that almost seven out of 10 (68.9%) had at least one uncontrolled risk factor for heart disease. Factors were elevated blood pressure readings (37.2%), elevated body mass index (60.5%), and being a smoker (12.1%).

Cricket spectators who did the free checks, mostly men aged 35 to 64, had higher rates of elevated blood pressure and body mass index than those screened at pharmacies.

Warne revived and elevated the art of leg-spin bowling when he emerged on the international scene in the 1990s and was a central character in one of Australia’s most successful eras in the sport. He was also one of cricket’s larger-than-life showmen.

Warne held the record for the most test wickets with 708 when he retired in 2007 after his 145th match. Only Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has passed him, with 800.

“Meeting people where they are, whether that’s at their local pharmacy or the MCG, can make all the difference to health outcomes,” said Dr. Sean Tan, a cardiologist and researcher at the Victorian Heart Institute.

Warne’s long-time personal assistant Helen Nolan said the findings reinforced Shane Warne Legacy’s mission to turn his death into a catalyst for change. The charity’s chief executive described the results as “bittersweet.”

“We’re proud to have helped thousands take their heart health seriously but we know there’s still work to do,” Nolan said. “Shane would have wanted this to make a massive difference.”

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