Aussies rush for tickets to Shane Warne’s memorial at the MCG

Aussies are rushing to snap up free tickets to cricketing icon Shane Warne’s huge farewell at the MCG later this month.

LEEDS, ENGLAND – AUGUST 25: Former Australian spin bowler Shane Warne works as a commentator for Sky Sports before the first day of the third test between England and India at Headingley on August 25, 2021 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Anticipation for the giant MCG memorial for Shane Warne is building, with tickets flying out the door as thousands of Aussies prepare to send off the Aussie great.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the state memorial for the cricketing icon will be held at the ground on the evening of March 30.

The event has been opened to tens of thousands of members of the public, following Warne’s private funeral this week which was attended by the former leggie’s closest friends and family.

The free tickets to the event were made available at 3pm AEDT Tuesday, with several thousand disappearing instantly.

Only a handful remain in scattered sections at the time of writing.

The ceremony will be held at the MCG on the evening of March 30.

The family of Australian cricket superstar Shane Warne follows the hearse on a lap of the ground after a private memorial service at the St Kilda Football Club in Melbourne on March 20, 2022.

A cluster of Australian cricket icons arrived at Warne’s beloved St Kilda Football Club for the invitation-only ceremony, including Victorian seamer Merv Hughes, former Test captain Mark Taylor, batting great Mark Waugh and former wicketkeeper Ian Healy.

Close mates Eddie McGuire and Michael Clarke, former fast bowler Brendon Julian and partner in crime Glenn McGrath were also in attendance.

“He brought together so many things,” Eddie McGuire told reporters outside the venue, as reported by The Herald Sun.

A mural of late Australian cricket superstar Shane Warne, painted by @calum_artist, in Sydney on March 21, 2022.

“The reason why he was so loved is because he was fallible, he was Superman. You threw the ball to Warne, you sat in that Southern Stand and he did the things you dreamt of doing as a kid.

“He had the hat trick, took 700 wickets, the Gatting ball, he did everything.

“He did the things like wow, I wonder what it would be like to be a playboy in London society.

“The magic part about Shane Warne was that he sprinkled his gold dust everywhere he went.

“He didn’t become a hermit, he brought his friends into everything in life.”