Shane Warne dead: David Warner pledges attend funeral at MCG

David Warner says he will be among mourners at the MCG for Shane Warne’s funeral as the Australian team continues to grieve the spin king in Pakistan.

Test star David Warner has promised to get home and attend the funeral service at the MCG honour the cricketer whose poster was on his wall when he was a kid.

The opener said Warne was the player he wanted to be as a boy.

Warne and teammates Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood fly out after the third Test against Pakistan which is scheduled to end March 25, but others will remain for the limited overs series.

Watch Australia’s Tour of Pakistan on Kayo. Every Test, ODI and T20 Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

Warne will be honoured with a state funeral on March 30 at his home town stadium. It will surely be one of the biggest funerals in Melbourne’s history, if not the Australia’s.

“100 per cent I will be trying to get there,” Warner said the day after arriving in Karachi for the second Test.

“It still hasn’t really sunk in. When we first found out, we thought it was a joke. Shane has passed away? I didn’t sink in and it still hasn’t. It’s definitely going to be extremely emotional for everyone.

“There will be a big huge contingent of Victorians being hosted at the MCG. There will be lots of people paying their respects.

“You’ve seen all the flowers and even cigarettes and beers placed on the Warnie statue at the MCG. It just shows you how many people he has touched and how many people are feeling it right now around the world. Definitely I’ll be trying to get down there for that. We arrive home I think on the 27th and 28th.

David Warner chats with Shane Warne before play at the MCG.

“I think it’s important as a (current) player and past players will be there to recognise that. We’ve obviously got Rod Marsh’s funeral which will be taking place prior to that. We won’t be home for that but I am sure we’ll be tuning in for that if we can.”

Warner grew up in Sydney but Warne’s influence respected no territorial boundaries, could not be contained by parochial prejudices.

By way of example: at Abdul Qadir’s academy in Lahore — the Test series against Australia was recently named the Bendaud Qadir trophy — there is a large poster which Warne has signed and dedicated to the local “king of spin”.

David Warner and Warnie promoting a BBL game at the MCG.

“From my point of view as a kid, I had his poster up on the wall. I wanted to be like Shane,” Warner said.

“I started my career early on bowling leg-spin and batting middle order. We idolised him.

You just look at the tributes from around the world. He has touched millions and millions of people and from different countries. Celebrities, you name it.

“He’s such a loyal guy. He’s always stuck by me. Every time I have engaged with him in any way, he’s always asked to come for a beer, come to dinner, help give advice.”

“He always just wanted to help and that was Shane. He will be dearly missed. We’re going to miss up rocking up to the ground and hearing his stories. He’s just such a likeable guy.

Australia is worse off with him leaving up.”

Warner related a story of how Warne had hopped onto the team bus in Cape Town putting peanut butter on his toast after a big night out in 2014.

There is famous footage of the opener and his teammates laughing as the cameras focused on the dressing room and caught the leg spinner asleep at the back of the viewing area.

Originally published as Shane Warne dead: David Warner pledges attend funeral at MCG