By his own admission, Jackson Warne “could’ve easily gone downhill” following the sudden death of his cricket legend father Shane Warne in March this year but in a recent inspirational message, the 23-year-old has spoken of how he has coped with the “trauma”.
Taking to Instagram, Jackson detailed how he has coped with the loss of his father while thanking all those who have supported him through the difficult time.
“This year I could’ve easily gone downhill,” he wrote.
“I could’ve drank a lot of alcohol, gambled too much, quit the gym, ate shit food and not socialise. Be miserable.
“But I didn’t. I didn’t because I used this trauma as energy for life. I surrounded myself with good people, went to the gym EVERY DAY, drank water, swam, laughed a lot and was consistent. 1 day at a time.
“I can now say because of this I am the happiest and healthiest I’ve been. Health is wealth.
“It cost’s $0 to exercise, laugh, drink water and go outside. If you do this I promise you’ll be the happiest and healthiest you can be.
“To everyone who is still messaging me and supports me every single day, It doesn’t go unnoticed and I appreciate it. Thank you.”
After posting the insightful message, Jackson was inundated with messages of praise and support.
“Love you so proud of you and every day,” Jackson’s sister, Brooke Warne wrote.
“Great attitude mate. Well done. Very proud of you.”
“This was so heartwarming to read! Go Jacko! Everyone around you is so proud of you, I hope you’re just as proud of yourself,” another wrote.
“Great job mate you have definitely picked the right path you dad will always be super proud of you.”
“Your parents must be very proud ..most of you must be proud of yourself… keep up the great work… your Dad will be smiling down on you… Your Dad was not prefect … but he owned his mistakes.. & wanted to be a better man.. what a role model you had.”
Shane Warne, died of a suspected heart attack, age 52 while enjoying a holiday on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand on March 4, 2022.
Following his sudden death, Warne’s management released a statement acknowledging the tragedy.
“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” the statement said.
Warne was widely considered one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history. He played his first Test match in 1992 and took over 1,000 wickets in Tests and One-Day Internationals over the course of his career. Warne’s 708 Test wickets from 145 tests was the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket until 2007.
Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack recognised Shane’s incredible sporting achievements by naming him as one of its Five Cricketers of the Twentieth Century alongside fellow cricket icons Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs and Sir Vivian Richards. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2013.
It is said by many that Warne revolutionised cricket with his mastery of the leg spin, which, back in 1994, many cricket followers had come to regard as a dying art due to its immense difficulty of execution.