Thousands pay tribute to Shane Warne at state memorial service

At a state memorial service at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Wednesday, Shane Warne was hailed as a “genius” in front of tens of thousands of spectators and renowned players, with music giants such as Elton John performing virtually.

The 52-year-old Australian cricketer died of a suspected heart attack at a luxury resort in Thailand this month, shocking and grieving his millions of fans as well as prime ministers, rock artists, and fellow players.

The larger-than-life “master of spin” was honored in front of 50,000 fans in a two-hour service that was broadcast live to cricket fields across Australia and viewed around the world.

“Looking forward to a future without Shane is inconceivable,” his father Keith said after batting great Donald Bradman’s granddaughter Greta sang the national anthem to kick off proceedings.

“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 set to be renamed after Warne, who is regarded as Australia’s second-greatest sportsman, second only to Bradman.

Some fans wore their cricket gear to the event, while others wore Warne T-shirts.

As they took photos in front of his statue outside the MCG, emotions were running high.

One woman proudly displayed her new Warne thigh tattoo, which she got this week.

Mark Taylor, who captained Warne 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.

Fellow 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.”

Music stars Elton John, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran were set to sing “dedicated songs” to Warne.

Also set to appear by video link were Hollywood stars Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman.

Cricketing greats such as Brian Lara, Nasser Hussain and Wasim Akram were among an array of sports stars at the service.

Warne’s former partner, the British actress Liz Hurley, was not expected to attend but will reportedly feature in the service.

Credited with reviving the art of leg-spin, Warne took 708 Test wickets as part of a dominant Australian team in the 1990s and 2000s before becoming a respected commentator.

Before the state service in his memory, Warne’s family, friends and teammates mourned him at a private funeral on March 20.

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