‘He was Australian cricket’: Fans remember sporting hero and larrikin legend Shane Warne

By Ashleigh McMillan

Cricket legend Shane Warne Credit:Paul Rovere

Outside the MCG where Shane Warne’s bronze statue dominates the entrance, it was a solemn mood as Melburnians paid their respects.

Bouquets of flowers and a scuffed cricket ball bearing the words ‘thank you’ were left under the statue on Saturday morning as fans braved the rain to remember the man they said was a “cricketing god”.

Cricket fans pay tribute at the statue of cricketing great Shane Warne at the MCG.Credit:Jason South

Harry Morrow left a can of VB, a meat pie and a packet of cigarettes at Warne’s feet on Saturday.

Spending a lot of time in the UK as a child, Mr Morrow’s fondest memories were of watching Warne “rip the English cricket team to shreds”.

“There was a sort of smug satisfaction watching him come out – you’d be like ‘here’s the secret weapon, he’s gonna clean ’em up’, and he always did,” he said. “He was Australian cricket.“

Speaking to The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, mourners shared their feelings of disbelief that Warne had died so suddenly, and so young.

A tribute to Shane Warne’s common touch lies at the base of his MCG statue on Saturday morning.Credit:Jason South

Runners and cyclists on loops around the MCG stopped in front of Warne’s statue on Saturday, touching it briefly in remembrance.

Graeme Ife, brought his children Camilla, 7, and Gabe, 5, to the MCG as he left flowers for the cricket great.

“He meant so much to me as a sportsman, and he meant so much to the country,” he said. “Shane was such a dominant force, and he really introduced spin bowling to my generation. I don’t think the kids really understand, but I wanted them to come along and appreciate him. It’s not of their generation, but at least they’ll be part of it.”

Readers share their memories

Mark: I played poker once at Warnie’s house with a bunch of footballers, cricketers, a professional poker player, his friends and his son. It was a lot of fun. He had dedicated poker rooms indoors and outdoors. There was a big jar of lollies on the table and a fridge full of Creaming Soda and Passiona.

Reader Mark enjoys a game of Poker at Shane Warne’s house.

Flano: At the Phil McNamara testimonial match at Hurstville Oval in the 1990s, Warnie presented trophies to local juniors during the lunch break, he stayed until every request for an autograph/photo was satisfied.

Ange C: Me and a mate were dressed as goths and heading to a [The] Cure concert in Sydney. We were staying at a city hotel. We got into the lift with Warnie and his entourage. His face was bright red and covered in Vaseline and he was with a lady dressed as a cowboy. I proceeded to mess up and didn’t know how to use the room card to get off at my floor. Warnie was lovely and helped me out. Charming and polite. Wished us a great night. I’ll miss that megawatt smile. Vale. Xx

Anonymous: We were staying at the same hotel as him and his kids in Fiji about 13 years ago. We said to our nine-year old son (who had no idea who he was), “Go and say hi to Warnie” so he dashed up to the buffet, sidled up to him and said, “Hey Wandy!” Warnie just smiled, ignored the mispronunciation and said “hi”, then realised he’d taken the last of the fries so took some off his plate and put them on our son’s plate. A small act but so kind.

Michelle: Cricket is not my thing but his off-field antics never disappointed.

Mark: We were in Rosebud on a long weekend, and after a walk on the beach had gone to the ice cream shop near the pier. We walked in and Warnie was standing at the counter placing his order. Our little nephew, maybe eight years old, had no idea who it was. I asked the nephew what flavour he wanted, and at that point, Warnie entered into a long conversation with the kid as to what the best flavours were. For a guy who was so famous, he was the most down-to-earth guy you could meet.

Kumudu: I saw him early one Saturday morning at Costco wearing his trackies and stocking up. Even then, if someone there wanted to take a photo with him, he was still happy to oblige. However, I remember him for taking wickets against Sri Lanka, Warnie won the game for Australia that day. He grabbed victory from the agony of defeat. Allan Border should be ever grateful he had Warnie.

Kate: I met Shane at a book event a few years back. I remember him saying that “all teams need lots of room for personality and individuality.” That has stuck with me for over three years. Don’t snuff out the things that make people shine. That was just one of the things that made him a star of the game. Vale Shane Warne. Gone too soon you legend.

Mike Benjamin: I’ll never forget the flipper that he bowled Richie Richardson with on his way to his first big bag of wickets while bowling Australia to victory at the MCG in 1992. It was a glimpse of what he would repeat numerous times over the next 14 years both with single deliveries as well as leading the team to test victories.

Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.

Most Viewed in Sport

Source: Read Full Article