Shane Warne's family and friends have paid their final respects at a private funeral in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. The cricketing legend's parents, three children and friends – including retired Test captains Mark Taylor and Allan Border and former England skipper Michael Vaughan – were among about 80 guests at the service on Sunday.
Warne, widely regarded as one of the top players of all time, died on March 4 while on holiday with friends on Samui Island in southern Thailand. A post-mortem examination found the 52-year-old had died of a suspected heart attack. His body was repatriated from Bangkok to Melbourne just over a week ago.
A state memorial at Melbourne Cricket Ground – the scene of many of Warne's legendary bowling moments including a hat-trick against England in 1994 and his 700th Test wicket on Boxing Day in 2006 – will take place on March 30 and will be open to the public. The ground's Great Southern Stand will also be renamed in his honour.
Warne shot to global fame with the "ball of the century" that dismissed Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes series against England. He went on to claim 708 Test wickets, the second-highest haul in history, in a 15-year career spanning 145 matches. The spinner also racked up 293 one-day international wickets, helping Australia win the 1999 World Cup.
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