Former Australian teammates Glenn McGrath, Mark Waugh, Merv Hughes, Ian Healy, Andrew Symonds, Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Michael Clarke, and some arch-rivals on the field during his playing days, such as former England skipper Michael Vaughan, were among those who attended Shane Warne’s private funeral ceremony in Melbourne on Sunday.
Former greats joined Warne’s three children, Jackson, Brooke, and Summer, as well as his parents, Keith and Brigette, and friends, to bid farewell to the Australian legend, who died on March 4 on Koh Samui Island in Thailand while on vacation. The second highest wicket-taker in Test cricket died of a suspected heart attack and his body was brought back to Australia on a chartered flight a few days back.
The ceremony on Sunday was an invitation-only service at St Kilda Football Club, an Australian Rules team Warne had supported his entire life.
Warne’s close friend Eddie McGuire delivered the eulogy and was MC for the service. The guests were invited to wear St Kilda scarves and a pair of them were draped across Warne’s coffin.
The service ended with Warne’s coffin being given a lap of honour at St Kilda’s home ground while Tina Turner’s “Simply The Best” was played as they left the ground.
The lap of honour was immediately followed by a champagne toast.
While Warne will be given a full public service at his beloved Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) later this month, approximately 80 of his nearest and dearest friends and family were in Melbourne on Sunday to pay their respects.
Warne’s public service on March 30 is expected to attract a large crowd of around one lakh people at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, a venue where Warne had umpteen memories from his 15-year international cricket career. The ground’s Great Southern Stand will also be renamed in Warne’s honour.
During the 2006–07 Ashes Test series, Warne dismissed former English captain Sir Andrew Strauss in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne to become the first-ever cricketer to take 700 wickets in Test cricket. He finished his career with 708 scalps, out of which 56 came at the iconic MCG.
