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Thousands bid farewell to cricketing legend Shane Warne at state memorial service

Tens of thousands of fans and legendary cricketers gathered at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to honour and remember legendary spin legend Shane Warne, whose sudden death earlier this month shook the world.

Thousands bid farewell to cricketing legend Shane Warne at state memorial service

Bengaluru, March 30: Tens of thousands of fans and legendary cricketers gathered at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to honour and remember legendary spin legend Shane Warne, whose sudden death earlier this month shook the world.

A state memorial service was held on Wednesday to remember the spin magician. Warne passes away a a resort in Thailand this month from a suspected heart attack at the age of 52. The king of spin was honoured in a two-hour service in front of 50,000 fans as it was streamed live so fans across the world could watch.

Among the legendary cricketers present at the MCG, were Brian Lara, Nasser Hussain and Wasim Akram.

Batting great Donald Bradman's granddaughter Greta sang the national anthem to kick off the ceremony. In an emotional address, AFP quoted Warne's father, Keith as he said, "Looking forward to a future without Shane in 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."

A stand at the MCG was to be officially re-named after Warne. Outside the MCG, fans snapped photos in front of his statue. Former skipper Allan Border said, "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."

Warne was the first skipper to win the Indian Premier League as he led Rajasthan Royals to the title in the inuaugural season of the tournament. Warne, who was the coach, mentor and captain of the Royals, led the Royals to triumph in 2008.

Thousands bid farewell to cricketing legend Shane Warne at state memorial service

Earlier on Tuesday, the Royals paid tribute to the spin magician. Paying tribute to their title-winning skipper, the Royals hung a poster of the legend in their dugout. The picture touched hearts as it went viral on social media.

The message along with Warne's picture read: Forever the first royal. Sharing it on social media, the Royals captioned it "With us, wherever we go."

Earlier, the league got off to an emotional start, as they paid tribute to Warne ahead of the start of the IPL season. Warne, the second highest wicket-taker in Test cricket behind Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan, had captained Rajasthan Royals to the IPL tile in the opening year in 2008, till date the team's only IPL trophy.

A private funeral has already been held, attended by dozens of celebrities including ex-England captain Michael Vaughan. The state memorial service was held on Wednesday.

(With input from agencies)

Story first published: Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 17:03 [IST]
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