SHANE WARNE’s portrait in Lord’s cricket ground has been moved from the Pavilion to the “more prestigious” Committee Room and adorned with a black rosette as a mark of respect for the late Australian great.
“As recognition of Shane’s importance to both MCC and the wider game, the portrait will remain in the Committee Room for two weeks,” a spokesperson tells us.
Warne’s death at the age of 52 shocked the cricketing world. One of the game’s greatest players, he led a colourful life and worked as a commentator after retiring.
His portrait, a full-length painted by Fanny Rush in 2005, normally hangs in the landing of the Lord’s Pavilion. It has been moved to a more “prominent” area as a mark of respect. Prince Philip, who served two terms as president of the Marylebone Cricket Club, which runs Lord’s, received the same treatment.
While Warne’s portrait hangs in its temporary space, public tours will visit the room for “visitors to pay their respects”, the spokesperson said, adding “non-essential meetings will be held away from the Committee Room during this period”.
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SW1A
ANDREW MITCHELL MP won a prize at last night’s Parliamentary Book Awards and sang Britain’s praises. He told the audience that after he recently called for Boris Johnson to resign in the House of Commons, a journalist friend in Central Africa rang him. They asked “are you all right?” Mitchell replied: “Yes, why?” “Because in this country if you said that sort of thing in public you would suffer a nasty accident on your way home.”
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Earlier in the evening, host Matt Chorley praised the prize for picking out all the good political books in its shortlists. “It means I don’t have to read all the terrible, terrible books… the unreadable books by politicians.”
