Shane Warne state funeral: Stars of sport and showbiz to pay tribute at the MCG in Melbourne | Cricket News

Nasser Hussain on his involvement in Wednesday’s state funeral: “It’s an honour they’ve asked me to go on stage to talk about him. For me, he’s absolutely the best cricketer I’ve ever seen and a great friend over the past decade.”

Stars of sport and showbiz, along with over 50,000 spectators, will attend the MCG on Wednesday to pay tribute to legendary cricketer Shane Warne at his state memorial.

Warne died at the age of 52 on March 4 after a suspected heart attack while in Koh Samui, Thailand, with the results of an autopsy revealing the death was due to natural causes.

Musicians Elton John, Ed Sheeran and Chris Martin are sending video contributions for the state funeral, while former England captain Nasser Hussain has travelled to Melbourne to join the likes of West Indies legend Brian Lara and former Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram in paying their respects in person.

“It was only a month or so ago we were chatting to him on The Cricket Show and he was his usual larger than life self,” Hussain said. “He was so happy, so professional and was chatting with Rob Key and I and we were having a laugh. It’s amazing how life gets you really.

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Cricket Legend Shane Warne will be laid to rest on Wednesday, with over 50,000 people expected to attend his funeral at the MCG cricket ground.

“I’m working on the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and I thought I would regret it if I didn’t make the three-hour trip over to be here for arguably the greatest cricketer, a friend, and a friend of Sky Sports.

“Some of our team can’t be here. Ian Ward was so close to Warney, Rob Key was so close to Warney, as were Bumble, Ath [Michael Atherton], Mikey [Michael Holding]. I just feel honoured that I’m here.

“It’s an honour they’ve asked me to go on a stage to talk about him. For me, he’s absolutely the best cricketer I’ve ever seen and a great friend over the past decade.”

‘People used to sit up and watch Warne’

Warne is the second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history with 708 wickets in 145 Test matches for Australia, with Hussain believing the leg-spinner will always be regarded as a legend of the sport.

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Shane Warne’s three children led a private funeral service for the Australian cricket legend in Melbourne on Sunday morning.

“What a character, what a cricketer and arguably – for me – the greatest cricketer who has ever played the game,” Hussain added. “He worked with us at Sky Sports in the cricket department and we were constantly reminding him of how good he was.

“Some people have genius, the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Brian Lara. Some people can get the best of themselves and be hugely competitive, then some people can think their way through a spell or innings. Shane Warne could do all three things and was so competitive.

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Australian opener David Warner pays tribute to the spinning legend Shane Warne, saying he was a cricketer who was loved around the world.

“In the 2005 Ashes, when Australia were losing the plot against Michael Vaughan’s England, who was the man getting runs and getting wickets? It was Warne. In 2006, when England got 550 in Adelaide under Andrew Flintoff’s captaincy, who was the man bowling England out on the last day to win that Test? It was Warne.

“Warne just ticked every box and he was just an outstanding cricketer. The other thing is cricket is entertainment, and he was such an entertaining cricketer. People used to sit up and watch when Shane Warne was bowling.”

Sky Sports will be showing live coverage from the State Memorial Service, featuring a host of tributes from stars of sport and showbiz. Watch live on Wednesday from 8am on Sky Sports News and Sky Sports World Cup.