Warne’s funeral to be held at iconic MCG in 2-3 weeks
MELBOURNE: Shane Warne’s state funeral will be held at the iconic MCG in front of an expected crowd of 100,000 people in a fitting farewell to the Australian spin king in the next two to three weeks, according to reports here. The public memorial will be held after Warne’s family mourn him at a private service. Warne’s manager James Erskine did not confirm MCG as the venue for the state funeral but hinted that no other stadium would be an appropriate one considering the stature of the legendary Australian. “But where else?” Erskine told ‘The Age’. According to ‘Herald Sun’, the state funeral is likely to be held within two or three weeks, which would overlap with the Australian Rules Football League (AFL) season, but the MCG “will make all necessary arrangements to accommodate the service”. A date has not been fixed as Warne’s family waits for his body to be returned to Melbourne following his sudden death from a suspected heart attack at Koh Samui in Thailand on Friday. ‘The Age’ quoted sources as saying that Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wanted to attend the state funeral and were working to find a suitable date with Warne’s family. The MCG was Warne’s favourite ground and the scene of his famous hat-trick against England in the Boxing Day Test in 1994, taking the wickets of tailenders Phil DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm.
Warne has his own statue at the MCG ground, and it has become a central location for fans to pay their respects with numerous flowers laid alongside beer cans of Victoria Bitter, packets of cigarettes and meat pies. The 52-year-old will also have the Southern Stand named after him, which will become the SK Warne Stand.
On the same day of Warne’s sudden demise, another Australian legend, former wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh died a week after suffering a heart attack. The Western Australian government has also offered Marsh a state funeral. Cricket Australia, the state cricket associations of Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, along with St Kilda Cricket Club, where Warne played, are likely to meet later this week to discuss commemorations for the two legends of Australian cricket.
Autopsy says death of natural causes
BANGKOK: Police in Thailand said Monday that an autopsy conducted on the body of Australian cricket star Shane Warne has concluded that he died of natural causes. A statement issued by deputy national police spokesperson Kissana Pathanacharoen said the opinion issued by the doctor who carried out the autopsy has been conveyed to Warne’s family and the Australian Embassy. It said the family did not have any doubt that the 52-year-old cricketer, widely considered one of the sport’s greatest spin bowlers, died of natural causes. The statement, issued ahead of a planned police news conference, did not specify the cause of death. Preliminary evaluations from Thai authorities suggested Warne died from a heart attack.
Warne was found unresponsive in his hotel room on the Thai resort island of Samui on Friday and could not be revived at a nearby hospital. His body was transferred Sunday to the Thai mainland for an official autopsy at a state hospital.
The statement said police would conclude the autopsy report and send it to the prosecutor’s office as soon as possible, a standard procedure in cases of unexpected deaths.
Warne’s family released a statement Monday saying the day of his death was for them the beginning of “a never-ending nightmare.” “Looking to a future without Shane is inconceivable, hopefully the mountain of happy memories we all have will help us cope with our ongoing grief,” his father and mother, Keith and Brigitte, wrote.
They said the family has accepted the offer of a state funeral and is grateful that a section of the Melbourne Cricket Ground will be renamed the S.K. Warne Stand in honor of their son. “As everyone knows, Shane was an extremely proud Victorian and Australian,” they said.
Warne’s son, Jackson, wrote: “I don’t think anything is ever going to fill the void you have left in my heart. You were truly the best father and mate anyone could’ve asked for.” There was no immediate information about when Warne’s body would be sent home to Australia.
Warne had complained of chest pain
SYDNEY: Warne had recently complained of ‘chest pain and sweating’ after undergoing a “ridiculous” two-week fluid-only diet before he left for his vacation, the Australian spin legend’s manager James Erskine has revealed. Warne, a spin wizard who made the world fall in love with his craft, died at the age of 52 due to a suspected heart attack in Thailand on Friday, leaving the world shell-shocked. “He did go on these ridiculous sorts of diets and he just finished one, where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days and he’d done this three or four times,” Erskine told ‘Nine Network.’ “It was a bit all or nothing. It was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle or he would be having black and green juices.
“He obviously smoked most of his life. I don’t know; I think it was just a massive heart attack. That’s what I think has happened,” Erskine added.
The Thai Police on Sunday said that initial investigations have shown no indication of foul play in Warne’s death but an autopsy has been conducted.
In an Instagram post a few days before his death, Warne had posted an old picture of himself in peak physical condition, announcing that he had started a weight-loss regime.
“Operation shred has started (10 days in) & the goal by July is to get back to this shape from a few years ago! Let’s go #healthy #fitness #feelgood,” he wrote.
According to the Koh Samui’s police superintendent Yuttana Sirisomba, Warne had “seen a doctor about his heart” recently. Warne’s family had also informed the Thai police about his history of heart problems and asthma and their concern about his health before he left Australia. Warne along with his friends had reportedly travelled to the popular island of Koh Samui, situated in the Gulf of Thailand. As per the local police information, one of Warne’s friends found the Aussie legend unresponsive around 5pm.