SHANE WARNE TO GET STATE FUNERAL
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has announced that Shane Warne will be laid to rest during a state funeral. In Australia, state funerals are held to honour people of national significance.
Andrews spoke to Warne’s family to confirm the offer.
Andrews said that “it will be an opportunity for Victorians to pay tribute to his contribution to his sport, to our state and the country”.
The former Australian cricketer died last week. He was found unresponsive in a hotel villa on the Thai island of Koh Samui. It’s suspected that he died of a heart attack.
The BBC reports that Warne took 708 wickets, the second most of all time, in 145 Tests across a stellar 15-year international career that ended in 2007.
Officials at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) have announced that a stand at the MCG is set to be named after him.
Yutthana Srisombat, superintendent of policy in Bo Phut, Thailand has said that police there are not treating his death as suspicious.
“His friends said that he had had chest pain since he was in Australia. Based on the evidence, we don’t see other possible causes of death.”
On Sunday Warne’s body was taken to the Thai city of Surat Thani for an autopsy.
South African cricket supporters had a love-hate relationship with Warne. While acknowledging his greatness and contribution to the game, local fans weren’t keen on his arrogance or that as a spin bowler he was able to create havoc among the Proteas batting lineup.
Image credit: ESPN Cric Info