Gilchrist reveals Shane Warne's last text before his demise; 'Message I will never delete'
Adam Gilchrist went down the memory lane and recalled the last text message Shane Warne sent to him and said 'It's a text message I will never delete'
- SportFit
- 3 min read
Legendary wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist went down the memory lane and recalled the last text message Shane Warne sent to him. Back on Friday, March 4, Warne passed away at the age of 52 while partying with his friends in Thailand. The veteran was found unresponsive at a villa hotel in Thailand due to what is suspected heart attack and efforts to revive him went in vain.
The entire cricketing fraternity mourned the demise of one of the greatest spinners to have graced the game. Gilchrist, who played a significant amount of cricket alongside Warne, talked about the camaraderie they shared.
Warne breathed his last less than 24 hours before another Aussie legend Rod Marsh embraced the heavens due to a heart attack. Gilchrist said that the spin wizard had contacted him to send congratulations for a voice-over during a tribute to Marsh.
Gilchrist, who scored a century in the final of the 2007 World Cup, said that he’s never going to delete the text Warne sent him only eight hours before the latter’s demise.
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'It's a text message I will never delete' Adam Gilchrist gets emotional on Shane Warne
"I spoke to Shane about a week ago. I received a really nice text from him. Probably, I am assuming this was eight hours before he passed away. He was just sending me a message. He was one of the few guys that consistently called me church.
"It’s a nickname only those in the inner circle knew about – about being confused by a young English fan and they called me 'Eric Gilchurch'. He always called me 'Churchy' and it always felt like a term of endearment from a friend," Gilchrist told ABC News.
"He messaged me saying, 'Church, wonderful tribute to Rod Marsh'. Which I was very honoured to do a voice-over. We were not even close to coming to terms with the passing of my childhood hero. Warnie just messaged me and said 'well done on that sir'. So that was the last contact. It's a text message I will never delete," he added.
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Warne and Gilchrist were also a part of the Australian 1999 World Cup winning squad, led by Steve Waugh. The Aussies won the trophy after beating Pakistan in the final. Both cricketers have also faced each other while playing in the Indian Premier League. Gilchrist has taken a plethora of catches and effected a lot of stumpings with Warne as the bowler.