The former Australia spinner passed away suddenly on March 4, aged 52
Genius. Genuine. Entertainer. The King.
Those were the words selected by Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Nasser Hussain and Brian Lara to describe Australian cricketer Shane Warne at his memorial service at the MCG on March 30.
Merv Hughes cheekily offered "dead set bogan" to the delight of the 50,000-plus people - family, friends, cricketers, celebrities and fans - inside the stadium and the thousands watching on TV as Australia and the world paid tribute to a legend.
The former leg-spinner, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all-time, passed away earlier this month, at the age of 52, after suffering a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Thailand.
Shane Warne's father, Keith [Robert Cianflone/Getty Images]
Warne made 145 Test appearances for Australia between 1992 and 2007, picking up 708 wickets at 25.41 and cementing his place in history with the 'Ball of the Century' to dismiss Mike Gatting at Old Trafford.
With the white ball, he took 293 wickets in 194 ODI outings and lifted the Cricket World Cup in 1999.
A private funeral service was held in Melbourne last week prior to Wednesday's televised memorial service.
Warne's father, Keith, opened the memorial, labelling March 4 "the darkest day in our family's life."
"The family lost a beloved son, a loving brother to Jason, and a devoted father to Brooke, Jackson and Summer. And the world lost a much-loved cricket legend whose feats on and off the cricket field will go down in history for all time," he said.
Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Merv Hughes, Nasser Hussain and Brian Lara [Darrian Traynor/Getty Images]
"Looking forward to a future without Shane is inconceivable, but we do take comfort in knowing that Shane packed more into his life of 52, five months and 19 days than most people would in two lifetimes.
"Shane said of himself, 'I smoked, I drank and I played a little cricket'.
"Mate, your mother and I can't image a life without you. You have been taken too soon and our hearts are broken. Thank you for all you did for us and for being such a loving and caring son."
Former Australia skipper Border issued an emotional thank you to Warne, stating: "Thank you for revitalising my captaincy towards the end of my time. I was lucky enough to have two years with Shane and I'd just like to thank him for that."
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— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 30, 2022
A poetic tribute to the life and magic of Shane Keith Warne, as read by Australia Test captain @patcummins30 #ShaneWarne pic.twitter.com/JVFcUKLWzs
Hughes praised his loyalty, both on and off the field – "a super bloke and I feel sorry for the people around Australia who never met him" – while Taylor lauded his impact on the game, commenting: "He made slow bowling fashionable again, he made it cool."
Former England skipper Hussain entertained the crowd with a tale of a sledging battle between himself and Warne during a one-day final at the SCG in 1999, a battle the batter, of course, lost.
"I had no delight in playing against Shane. He was a king bowler, but also a great sledger. And he just seemed to wait for me to come out.
"We were just thrilled to be in a final - usually we were in the hotel, to be honest - and he had been sledging me all day. He brought himself on to bowl. AB [Allan Border] had told him before, 'if you're struggling, pick a fight with someone'.
Andy Lee, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Aaron Hamill, Sam Newman and Glenn Robbins [Darrian Traynor]
"He picks a fight with me, I sledged him back for some reason - I've said something like 'enjoy your last game as captain'.
"At the time it seemed like a really good thing to do because we needed 40 off 10 overs with seven wickets in hand. I ran down the pitch to the very next delivery - stumped [Adam] Gilchrist, bowled Warne - and my shot doesn't get any better 20 years later. I am in a different post code to the ball.
"We lost seven for 30, lost by 10 runs and Bumble didn't speak to me for a month."
Many former teammates, friends and celebrities gave in-person or video tributes to Warne, including Pat Cummins, who read a poem, Michael Clarke, Stephen Fleming, Wasim Akram, Kylie Minogue, Hugh Jackman and Greg Norman, while musical performances were provided by the likes of Sir Elton John, Chris Martin, Ed Sheeran and Robbie Williams.
From his first Test to his last, the late, great #ShaneWarne takes you through the big and important moments from his career 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/UgZkLPvxC6
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 30, 2022
Glenn McGrath said: "The thing I loved most about Shane is the effect he had on people. I remember talking to a group of people and they'd all have a different perception of him. Shane would walk across, have a chat and within 30 seconds, every single one of them loved him."
Meanwhile, Ian Botham described Warne as irreplaceable, commenting: "There is only going to be one Shane Warne. You were magnificent on and off the field – a magnificent advert for the game of cricket."
The two-and-a-half hour ceremony was brought to a close by Warne's brother Jason and children Brooke, Jackson and Summer before the Great Southern Stand was officially renamed the Shane Warne Stand.
"The friendly but fierce brotherly rivalry we shared for 50 years will never be replaced and will be sorely missed," Jason said. "He was the best brother I could have asked for because he was my mate and made me a better person. We pushed each other every step of the way but for the right reasons because we wanted each other to succeed.
The unveiling of the Shane Warne Stand [Daniel Pockett/Getty Images]
"The bonds created through sport last a lifetime, the bond of brothers lasts a lifetime and I'm very fortunate to have shared both of these bonds with him. While we'll all have to learn to live without Shane in our lives, he's left a massive hole in mine that will never be filled."
Daughter Summer said: "It has been exactly 26 days since you went to heaven and I miss you more than anything in the whole world. I would do anything just to have one more of your cuddles and to hear your voice tell me how proud you were of me and how much you loved me.
"You lived 100 lives. You never took anything for granted and you made sure you lived every day to the fullest. I will cherish the 20 years of memories we have. I want to say thank you, Dad."
Jackson, wearing a St Kilda scarf, continued: "I looked up to you as my hero and I admired how hard you work. I feel like I have been robbed as you were taken away too soon but I won’t forget the feeling of just being around you and how loved you always made me feel.
Warne's children pay tribute [Robert Cianflone/Getty Images]
"I promise I'm going to look after Brooke and Summer for the rest of my life. I'm going to continue to try my hardest to make you proud because I know you’re watching over me."
Brooke added: "I wanted the best for Dad, and he wanted the best for me. He just wanted to be the best dad he could be. We were so lucky.
"Dad was our shining star in life and now he is shining down on all of us. We will do you so proud and are so proud of everything you achieved. I love you always, Dad."
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