Shane Warne memorial: Off-field impact in saving lives a legacy to be lauded

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

Shane Warne. Picture: David Caird

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 part in trying to save the life of another Test great, Dean Jones, after he suffered a fatal stroke aged 59 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 death aged 52 from a heart attack has been, Lee believes he can still leave an imprint even more ­important than the mark he left on the cricket field.

“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 said 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.”

Test spinner Nathan Lyon represented the current playing group at the MCG on Wednesday night, paying homage to the man in whose footsteps he had to walk 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. “Yeah, good respect from him,” Test legend Allan Border said of Lyon’s presence among 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 a celebration of his life because he lived life to the full.

“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. 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 at the MCG.

Lee said remembering Warne 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.”