Shane Warne's friend reveals his last picture ever taken in final moments before death

A close friend of Shane Warne has posted what could be the former Australian cricketer's last photo from when he was still alive. On Friday, just hours before Warne died, the photo was uploaded on Instagram. Thomas Hall shared the photo, which was supposedly taken in Koh Samui, Thailand, where Warne died unexpectedly. Warne can be seen in the photograph flashing a broad smile while posing with someone who is not visible in the frame.

Warne died of a suspected heart attack on Friday at the age of 52. He was holidaying with his close friend Andrew Neophitou at the time of his demise. Warne and his friend Neophitou were supposed to go out for a drink at around 5 pm on Friday. However, when Neophitou arrived at Warne's villa to pick him up, he found that the former cricketer was not responding to his calls. Neophitou entered the room and discovered Warne lying face down on his bed. 

Neophitou realised something was wrong and attempted to perform CPR on his friend, but the ambulance arrived and pronounced Warne dead. The first Test match between Pakistan and Australia was playing on the television in Warne's room. Warne's body was taken to the hospital, where an autopsy was conducted. Thai police on Monday confirmed that autopsy found Warne died of natural causes. 

State funeral for Warne

A state funeral for Warne will be held in the coming few days. The venue for the funeral has not been decided yet but the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) remains the frontrunner. A total of 1,00,000 people are expected to attend Warne's funeral. However, before the state funeral, a private ceremony for family members and close friends will be held. 

The news of Warne's untimely demise sent shockwaves across the cricketing fraternity with condolences pouring in from all over the world. Several current and former cricketers turned to social media to pay their tributes to the legendary bowler. The Victorian government announced that a stand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will be renamed in memory of Warne. 

As far as Warne's playing career is concerned, the legendary spinner was most remembered for delivering the "ball of the century" during the 1993 Ashes Test series in England. Warne played 145 Tests for Australia from 1992 to 2007. Warne picked a total of 708 wickets in Tests during his illustrious playing career, and to date, he remains the second-highest wicket-taker in the longest format. 

Image: cricket.com.au