‘Shock and disbelief’: Sporting world pays tribute to Shane Warne
Sporting teams in Australia and across the globe have paid tribute to Shane Warne as the world struggles to process his unexpected death.
The sporting world has rallied together to pay tribute to Australian cricket legend Shane Warne.
His manager James Erskine released a statement on Saturday morning confirming the former Test leg-spinner had died in Thailand of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52.
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While cricket fans and the general public struggle to come to terms with Warne’s unexpected passing, sporting teams in Australia and across the globe have honoured the Spin King as they push on with their matches.
The Australian and Pakistan teams, as well as their support staff, paused for a poignant minute of silence before play on Day 2 of the first Test in Rawalpindi in honour of Warne.
Pakistan is also paying tribute to the victims of a suicide bombing at a mosque in the city of Peshawar in the country’s north west.
Both teams are wearing black armbands. No music will be played at the ground and the flags of both countries are being flown at half mast as a gesture of respect and mourning.
Meanwhile, India and Sri Lanka held a minute of silence prior to Day 2 of their Test match in Mohali. Warne was a revered figure in India and the subcontinent.
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli delivered a moving speech on Star Sports, reflecting on how Warne’s death puts everything else into perspective.
“(I) got the sad news last night about the demise of Shane Warne,” Kohli said.
“Out of nowhere to be honest. We carry on what we do in life. We think everything is about what we are involved in the present moment and all our troubles — things going wrong or things that we look forward to.
“(You) realise pretty quickly that life is so unpredictable and fickle. We just need to be grateful for all the moments we are alive. Passing at the age of 52 is something which is totally unexpected. (He) went far too early.
“I stand here with disbelief and shock because I got to know him off the field as well,” Kohli said.
“I understood the charisma and persona he brought to every conversation he was a part of, and brought that on the field as well.
“Just an honest man upfront, spoke so clearly, lived life king size.
“Grateful to have known him, and for me, the greatest spinner to ever play the game.
“It’s needless to say he’ll surely be missed but I hope we can put things in the right perspective in life, knowing how unpredictable things are and just be grateful for all these moments that god has blessed us with to just be alive and healthy.
“My deepest condolences to his family and his close ones — his children, his parents. I know how difficult this moment would be. They have all our support and they are in our supports.
God bless his soul.”
Australia’s women’s cricket team have paid tribute to Warne and former Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, who died on Friday.
In Australia’s first match of the ODI World Cup against England in New Zealand, the team wore two armbands in honour of the Test cricket greats, who died within 24 hours of each other.
St Kilda and Geelong also honoured Warne’s memory with a minute of silence before their AFLW game on Saturday afternoon at Moorabbin Oval. Both teams wore black armbands.
For Warnie â¤ï¸
— St Kilda FCW (@stkildafcw) March 5, 2022
Both our women's and men's sides will wear black armbands and observe a minute's silence in their matches today in memory of the late sporting legend. pic.twitter.com/CFx2lNivxK
Warne was a mega fan of his beloved St Kilda and pursued a professional football career with his first love, Aussie Rules, before switching to cricket when told he wasn’t good enough to play VFL/AFL for the Saints.
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