Shane Warne funeral: Australian cricket legend’s children lead tributes at private ceremony | Cricket News

Shane Warne died of a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand, on March 4, aged 52; a private funeral service was held for the Australia cricketing great in Melbourne on Sunday

A private funeral service was held for Shane Warne in Melbourne on Sunday

Shane Warne’s three children Brooke, Jackson and Summer led the private funeral service for the Australia cricketing great in Melbourne on Sunday.

It was an invite-only event, with around 100 people said to have received an invitation.

The former leg-spinner, considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time, died of a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand, on March 4, aged 52.

Among them was close friend Eddie Maguire, who spoke fondly of his friend and his mark on the Gentleman’s Game.

McGuire described Warne as “Superman” and in quotes reported by the Daily Mail added: “You threw the ball to Warne, you sat in that (Melbourne Cricket Ground) Southern Stand and he did the things you dreamt of doing as a kid.

“The magic part about Shane Warne was that he sprinkled his gold dust everywhere he went.”

Warne was an avid Australian Football League (AFL) supporter and a huge fan of team St Kilda, so it was fitting the service was held at the team’s stomping ground.

A lap of honour was carried out there before the service.

Also in attendance in Warne’s hometown were former Australia cricketers Mark Taylor, Ian Healey and hall-of-famer Merv Hughes, as well as ex-skipper Michael Clarke and former England captain Michael Vaughan.

Clarke had been handed Warne’s iconic No 23 shirt when he retired from the one-day game.

Former AFL player Sam Newman also paid tribute along with entertainer Glenn Robbins, who ‘Warnie’ worked alongside on comedy show Kath and Kim.

Shane Warne claimed 708 Test wickets, the second-highest in history, in a 15-year career

Warne’s former girlfriend, British actress Liz Hurley, was unable to attend the funeral due to work commitments.

Hurley, 56, said on Instagram: “My heart aches that I can’t be in Australia for Shane’s funeral. I was filming and, with the time jump, physically can’t get there. It still hasn’t really sunk in that he’s gone.”

Around 50,000 cricket fans are expected to fill the MCG on March 30 for Warne’s state memorial.

Tickets for the event are expected to be made available to the public in the coming days.

It has been reported that Sir Elton John will perform live via video link for the state funeral and that other video tributes will include performances from Ed Sheeran and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

Warne shot to global fame with the ‘ball of the century’ to bamboozle and dismiss Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes series against England.

He went on to claim 708 Test wickets, the second-highest in history, in a 15-year career spanning 145 matches and also took 293 one-day international wickets, helping Australia win the 1999 World Cup.