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In an announcement made on Wednesday, the Victorian State government said that the legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne will be honored with a state funeral on March 30 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Notably, the leg spinner passed away last week at the age of 52 on the Thai holiday island of Koh Samui on Friday. His body is to be repatriated. An autopsy found he had died of natural causes following a reported heart attack.
The ticket for the state funeral is now open for the public. As many as 100,000 people are expected to be present at the venue to pay their last tributes to Australia's one of the greatest cricketers. The statement released by the government said that Warne "didn't just inspire a cricketing generation - he defined it," it said. It also added that further details about the event are being finalised.
"There's nowhere in the world more appropriate to farewell Warnie than the 'G'," said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. "Victorians will be able to pay tribute to Shane and his contribution (to) our state, and his sport, at a memorial service at the MCG on the evening of March 30th," he said in a statement.
Cricketing fraternity in shock!
Although a few days have passed since Warne's demise, the cricketing fraternity is still in shock as they attempt to make terms with the fact that one of the finest ambassadors of the game has left them. Cricketers from around the globe shared their experiences with Warne and pointed out how lively he used to be in any situation. The fans also witnessed one of the toughest nuts to crack, Ricky Ponting, bursting into tears while paying last rites to his teammate.
The former Australian captain also said that he wished he could tell Warne how much he loved him. Speaking with former England star and Fox Cricket commentator Isa Guha on the ICC Podcast. Ponting said, "As I’ve said to a lot of the guys I’ve been talking to over the last couple of days, just how much I love him," Ponting said. "I didn’t say that, but I wish I did."