Melbourne Cricket Ground To Host Shane Warne Memorial
Fans all over the world were shocked by the news that Australian cricketer Shane Warne died suddenly of a heart attack, and now they are being given the opportunity to pay tribute to the sporting legend by attending a memorial service at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
A state funeral will be held at the stadium on March 30th at 19:00 following the 52-year-old’s death earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported.
Those wanting to be part of the service will have to enter a public ballot for one of the 50,000 tickets available. Shane’s family, including his children Brooke, Jackson and Summer, and fellow cricketing alumni, as well as current players, will also be in attendance at the venue.
Stuart Fox, the Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive, told SEN: “We obviously have the state government’s memorial service, there may well be an unveiling at that point in time. We’re all working towards the renaming of the stand.”
Among the other attendees expected to turn up at the huge event are Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the cricketer’s ex-wife and mother of his kids Simone Callahan, good friend Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, and British actress Elizabeth Hurley, who dated Warne between 2010 and 2013.
On the subject of her ex’s sudden death in Thailand, the Estee Lauder spokesperson recently posted: “I feel like the sun has gone behind a cloud forever. RIP my beloved Lionheart @shanewarne23 [sic].”
In addition to the memorial tribute at MCG, there will be a livestream of the service at Sydney Cricket Grounds (SCG). This stadium was of particular significance to Warne as he broke the record for most test wickets here.
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet was reported by the publication as saying: “We want to run those events alongside each other. Obviously, we will live stream the memorial service in the MCG – that’s incredibly important.”
As well as this, the SCG will feature live tributes to the father of three.
Mr Perrottet added it is “important” for the public to have the chance to mourn Warne at the venue, saying: “[He] is the greatest cricketer I’ve seen of that generation and well loved by the people of NSW.”
Other cricketing grounds around Australia might follow suit, enabling fans all over the country to pay their respects to the sportsman.
Shane was on a lads’ holiday in Thailand when he suffered a heart attack, staying in a villa with four friends on the island of Koh Samui. After finding him unconscious at 1700 local time, they attempted to save his life, but he could not be resuscitated.
News of his passing has shaken the world, in particular cricket fans, who remember him from his first ball in Ashes cricket in 1993 – what became known as the ‘Ball of the Century’.
While the public memorial will be held at the end of the month, a private ceremony will take this weekend (March 19th and 20th), the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The cricketer’s closest friends, colleagues and relatives will mourn their loss in an intimate event prior to the public celebration of his achievements.
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