Shane Warne’s state memorial service to be held at Melbourne Cricket Ground | Cricket News

Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews announced the service date and venue on Wednesday; Andrews said there was “nowhere in the world more appropriate”; Shane Warne’s family will hold a private funeral before the memorial service at the MCG

A state memorial service will be held for Shane Warne at the MCG

Shane Warne’s state memorial service will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 30.

The Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews announced on Wednesday that the MCG will be the venue for the service to honour the cricketing legend. Warne’s family will hold a private funeral before the memorial service at the MCG.

“There’s nowhere in the world more appropriate to farewell Warnie than the G,” Andrews said on social media.

The MCG was the stage for Warne’s famous Ashes hat-trick in 1994 and his 700th Test wicket on Boxing Day in 2006, during his final series before retiring from international cricket. He was born and raised in Melbourne.

Warne – widely regarded as one of cricket’s all-time greats – died at the age of 52 due to natural causes.

Stand at MCG to be renamed after Warne

Victoria’s minister for tourism and sport Martin Pakula had already announced the Great Southern Stand at the MCG is set to be renamed as the SK Warne Stand in honour of the leg-spinning star.

“We will be renaming the Great Southern Stand the SK Warne Stand and we’ll be doing that as soon as we possibly can,” said Pakula.

“I can think of no finer tribute to the greatest cricketer this state has produced than to rename the stand the SK Warne Stand and no matter whatever happens to that stand in the future – whether it’s rebuilt, refurbished, renovated – it will remain the SK Warne Stand in perpetuity because his legend will live in perpetuity.”

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Back in 2013, Shane Warne joined Ian Ward, Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain to deliver an insight into his thought process when trying to take wickets

Cricket Australia chairman Dr Lachlan Henderson noted that renaming the stand would “seem a very appropriate acknowledgement” of Warne.

“He’s been an icon of the game, obviously with St Kilda Cricket Club, Victoria, our Australian team for so many years. He also played cricket all around the world. So it’s a very fitting tribute,” he added.

“Right here this morning, driving past a junior cricket ground in Victoria, I saw a young leg-spin bowler bowl a beautifully-flighted ball that beat the bat and I’m sure someone was looking down on that young bowler as he embarks on his career.”

Hussain: Warne the “greatest ever”

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Nasser Hussain pays tribute to ‘the king of spin’ Shane Warne, where he remembers facing and working with the legend of the game

Sky Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain…

“For me, he was arguably the greatest cricketer to ever play the game.

“The game is about entertaining people and there was never a dull moment when Shane Warne had the ball in his hand. He was absolutely genius.

“Leg spin was a dying art before he burst onto the scene; we had never heard of a ‘flipper’, and then suddenly he used to set us up with it. He’d bowl us a ball that was short and you’d think ‘ah, Shane has lost it today’, and then the very next ball was the flipper and it was through us. He was an outstanding cricketer.

“When Australia really needed him in that 2005 Ashes series, when England were all over them and they were crumbling, there was one Aussie that stood up and said ‘not today’. He got wickets by the shed load, he got runs by the shed load too and he showed a lot of fight and a lot of character.

“Some people are brilliant at the game, some people are genius, some people have fight. Shane Warne had everything in abundance.

“He was also a very, very smart cricketer as we’ve seen in the commentary box since he retired from the game.”

Strauss: Extraordinary Warne was greatest showman

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Former England captain Andrew Strauss pays tribute to Shane Warne and explains what made him so special both on and off the pitch

Sir Andrew Strauss, who famously fell to Warne during the 2005 Ashes in what became known as the ‘Edgbaston Ripper’, said: “He was literally the greatest showman. There will be other cricketers whose records that might be as good as his, but no-one played the game in the way that he did.

“It was the flamboyancy, the great aura that he had as a cricketer, his enthusiasm for the game, the incredible competitive spirit he had and then of course, the extraordinary skills that he had in those magical fingers of his.

“It was the greatest challenge that I ever had as a cricketer to face up against him and I’m sure there are countless other cricketers who would say the same thing.

“You were playing the grand master of the game and he made you know it as well.”

Cummins: Warne a once in a century cricketer

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Australia captain Pat Cummins says Shane Warne’s records will live on forever as he paid tribute to one of his idols

Current Australia Test captain Pat Cummins said: “Warnie was an all-time great, a once in a century type cricketer and his records will live on forever. We all grew up watching Warnie, idolising him. We had posters of him on the wall and had his earrings. We love so much about Warnie, his showmanship, charisma and tactics. He just willed himself and the team around him to win games for Australia and above all else his incredible skill as a leg-spinner.

“So many guys in this team and squad who still hold him as a hero, they’re all-time favourite player and the loss that we’re all trying to wrap our heads around is huge. It’s been a really tough couple of days for Australian cricket after the passing of Rod [Marsh]. We just wish the best to both families, to Shane’s parents and his kids.

“The game was never the same after Warnie emerged and the game will never be the same after his passing. Rest in peace king.”