Melbourne, March 30: An enormous crowd is expected at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the King of Spin, late Shane Warne’s state memorial service on Wednesday. Warne, 52, tragically died due to a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Thailand on March 4. Almost four weeks since the spin legend’s untimely demise, a memorial service at the MCG will be attended by up to 65,000 people, cricket.com.au reported. With 50,000 seats already taken, another 15,000 tickets have been released to ensure the two-hour event becomes one of the biggest memorial services in Australian history.
Warne’s three children – Brooke, Summer and Jackson, his father Keith and brother Jason will speak at the event. The Shane Warne Stand, formerly known as the Great Southern Stand, will also be formally unveiled. Two of Warne’s former captains Allan Border and Mark Taylor will be in attendance along with West Indies legend Brian Lara and former England skipper Nasser Hussain. International stars, including Elton John, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran will perform remotely, while Australian rocker Jon Stevens will front a band playing some of Warne’s favourite INXS and Noiseworks songs, according to cricket.com.au. Australians Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, James Packer, Eric Bana, Greg Norman, as well as American surfing legend Kelly Slater, will also pay tribute to Warne.
UNI
