Brett Lee says Shane Warne’s death still doesn’t feel real as he says farewell to his great mate

Shane Warne did so much for the sport of cricket. But his ultimate legacy could result in many lives being saved in the future.

Far beyond his achievements on the cricket field, Shane Warne’s ultimate legacy to Australia may be to save lives.

Heart specialists in all states have reported a rush on bookings for middle-aged men and Brett Lee has been part of the throng.

The fast bowling champion played a heroic role in trying to save another Test great, Dean Jones’ life after he suffered a fatal stroke aged 59 back in late 2020.

Lee has since worked tirelessly with former Wiggle – and heart attack survivor – Greg Page in trying to promote heart health and the installation of defibrillators.

Warne on Wednesday night had a grandstand unveiled in his honour at the coliseum he made his home, the Melbourne Cricket Ground as deserved recognition of the legacy he leaves as one of the most influential Australian sports people of all time.

But as tragic as Warne’s untimely death aged 52 from a heart attack has been, Lee believes Warne can still leave an imprint even more vital than the mark he left on the cricket field.

Brett Lee wants Shane Warne’s life to be celebrated. Picture: AFP Images

“You think back to the 1990s when Shane Warne was first on the scene, everyone wanted to bowl leg-spin. Everyone wanted an earring in their left ear,” Fox Cricket expert Lee told News Corp from the MCG on Wednesday night.

“My mum wasn’t too happy I got a Nike earring put in after Warnie.

“He leaves a legacy with his cricket but also I think a legacy in that a lot of people are now concerned about their health.

“We’ve seen a few people unfortunately pass away in their 50s recently through heart attacks or other health complications.

“In the last three weeks I personally have gone and had a few different check-ups. I had a skin check-up, and different check-ups in terms of looking after my heart.

“The one underlying message here for anyone over the age of 40 or 50 who thinks they’re happy and healthy and fit is just get checked out, because you just never know.”

Shane Warne with Brett Lee during Lee’s debut in 1999.

It was fitting that Test spinner Nathan Lyon represented the current playing group at the MCG on Wednesday night paying homage to the man whose footsteps he had to walk in to make it as a Test cricketer.

Australia had tried 10 spinners in the wake of Warne’s retirement, before Lyon finally found his feet at Test level and powered on to become a great bowler in his own right.

Warne was occasionally harsh in his appraisals but Lyon always wanted to learn, and as a student of the game who has always respected the game’s history and who has gone before him, never stopped listening to Warne’s wisdom.

“Yeah good respect from him,” Test legend Allan Border said of Lyon’s presence amongst the crowd.

“And just for the rest of us, a chance for us to gather and we’ve had our mourning about the whole situation, it’s now just a bit of celebration of his life because he lived life to the full as we all know.

“His former teammates, we know what a great person he was, a great teammate, a great person off the field – it’s still hard to believe but hopefully we could give him a good send-off and this has just been quite incredible. The outpouring of grief, especially in this part of the world (Melbourne) where he was just revered.

Shane Warne walks from the MCG after taking his 700th wicket. Picture: Getty Images

“The showing of their support, it is great to be here to be part of it all.”

A cavalcade of ex-teammates, former Test opponents, celebrities and Fox Cricket colleagues turned up with the masses at the MCG on Wednesday night for a memorable occasion the likes of which Australia may never see again.

Lee said it was still impossible to believe Warne was gone, but remembering him at a celebration alongside mutual friends helped ease the pain.

“It still hasn’t sunk in even though it was a number of weeks ago. It still doesn’t feel real,” Lee said.

“It was nice to see all my old teammates and a few current players – and just have a chance to catch up and raise a glass to the King of Spin.

“It’s hard to say it’s a celebration of someone’s life when they only reach 52 years of age, but I think the best way for everybody to move forward and appreciate who the great Shane Warne was is to try and do that.”

Fox Cricket host Mark Howard led an on-stage panel on Wednesday night but told News Corp before the memorial about the influence Warne had on his own broadcasting career.

“The thing about Shane is he wanted everybody to succeed so he was prepared to help you succeed,” Howard said.

“I didn’t feel I had nailed commentating Test cricket in the first couple of years and I was discussing this with him and he wanted to see me improve.

“He wanted everyone around him to do well and he got joy from that.

“He gave me the opportunity to be as good as I could be.”