Legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne’s legacy continues more than three years after his sudden death from a heart attack at the age of 52.
Warne passed away in March 2022 while on holiday on the Thai island of Koh Samui. His unexpected death prompted his family and business team to establish the Shane Warne Legacy, a charity aimed at promoting heart health awareness.
As part of the initiative, free heart health checkup machines were installed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the past two Boxing Day Tests.
The data from the stadium screenings, along with 311 community pharmacy stations across Australia, were analyzed in a study led by Monash University. Between mid-December 2023 and the end of January 2024, a total of 76,085 people were screened, including 7,740 at the MCG.
The research, published Friday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that nearly seven out of 10 participants (68.9%) had at least one uncontrolled risk factor for heart disease.
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Elevated blood pressure was recorded in 37.2% of participants, high body mass index in 60.5%, and 12.1% were smokers. Cricket spectators, mostly men aged 35 to 64, had higher rates of elevated blood pressure and body mass index compared to those screened at pharmacies.
Warne, who rose to prominence in the 1990s, revived the art of leg-spin bowling and played a key role in one of Australia’s most successful cricket eras. He retired in 2007 with 708 Test wickets, a record later surpassed only by Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan.
“Meeting people where they are, whether at their local pharmacy or the MCG, can make all the difference to health outcomes,” said Dr. Sean Tan, cardiologist and researcher at the Victorian Heart Institute.
Helen Nolan, Warne’s long-time personal assistant, said the study results reinforced the Shane Warne Legacy’s mission to use his death as a catalyst for change. “We’re proud to have helped thousands take their heart health seriously, but we know there’s still work to do. Shane would have wanted this to make a massive difference,” she added.