Shane Warne has been fond of the tanned look over the years and now the leg-spin great is set to be immortalised in bronze at the MCG.
But whether the statue will be based on the current slimmed-down version of Warne, or the thicker figure of his final Test series in 2006-07, is not known.
The cricket great, who has returned from a fourth and final season in the Indian Premier League, was at the MCG on Monday to meet with Melbourne Cricket Club’s sculptor Louis Laumen.
“Just finished measurement sitting for my statue at the mighty MCG,” Warne, 41, said on his Twitter page.
“Feel very privileged and honoured to join so many amazing and wonderful sportsmen in the way of a statue at the mcg — thankyou — humbled!”
Warne’s current appearance, including his extremely bright white teeth, bottle-blond hair and decided lack of crows feet, has been the subject of constant speculation.
However the essence of the statue is expected to be Warne’s classic bowling action, with his massive hands and forearms which allowed him to “let it rip”, as his mentor Terry Jenner used to say.
The funeral for Jenner, who died last week aged 66, will be held at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.
The MCC is expected to unveil its 11th sporting statue during the Boxing Day Test against India.
Under a projected title “The Australia Post Avenue of Legends” which was announced in December last year, a minimum of one statue per year for the next five years will be placed in Yarra Park, extending from the Gate 2 MCC members entrance up the avenue towards Wellington Parade.
Laumen is the sculptor of the ten statues already erected which include cricketers Sir Donald Bradman, Dennis Lillee, Keith Miller and Bill Ponsford plus AFL stars Ron Barassi, Leigh Matthews, Dick Reynolds and Haydn Bunton as well as Olympic athletes Shirley Strickland and Betty Cuthbert.
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