Shane Warne was yesterday remembered as “mesmerising” and a “genius” at a state memorial service in Melbourne attended by tens of thousands of spectators and legendary players, with music superstars Elton John and Chris Martin performing by video link.
The well-loved Australian cricketer died aged 52 at a luxury resort in Thailand this month from a suspected heart attack, eliciting shock and grief from his millions of fans, as well as prime ministers, rock stars and fellow players.
The larger-than-life “king of spin” was honored at a two-hour service at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with more than 50,000 free tickets handed out. It was beamed live to cricket grounds across Australia and watched around the world.
Photo: Reuters
“Looking forward to a future without Shane is inconceivable, but we take comfort in knowing that Shane packed more into his life of 52 years, five months and 19 days than most people would in two lifetimes,” his father, Keith, said after batting great Donald Bradman’s granddaughter Greta sang the national anthem to start the proceedings.
Warne’s son, Jackson, said there was “no other better place in the whole world” to hold the memorial than the famous cricket ground where Warne made so many memories, including a hat-trick in an Ashes Test against England and taking his 700th Test wicket.
A stand at the ground was officially renamed after Warne, who in the eyes of many is second only to Bradman in Australia’s long list of sporting greats. Some fans attending wore their cricket kit, while others donned Warne T-shirts as they snapped pictures in front of his statue outside the venue.
Mark Taylor, who captained him for Australia, said the huge interest showed “how admired Shane Warne was.”
“The fact he had that rough diamond character about him made him what people like to see. People like to see something a bit different, and they got that with Warnie,” Taylor told reporters.
Former Australian captain Allan Border called him “a genius.”
“I don’t know how the Oxford dictionary defined genius, but he’s as close as I’ve been to genius, the way he developed his game and just transcended everything,” he said. “He’s left us with a flood of memories and such great times.”
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