One of Shane Warne’s former foes Nasser Hussain has described the legendary legspinner as the greatest cricketer who ever lived.
More than 50,000 people were at the MCG to farewell the Australian icon, who died suddenly aged 52 in Thailand on March 4.
Former Australian teammates and rivals paid tribute to Warne at Melbourne’s famous stadium in a star-studded state memorial service on Wednesday.
Ex-England captain Hussain, who Warne tormented during his 145-Test career, was blown away by his feats on the field.
Warne finished his career in 2007 with 708 Test wickets and was named as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century alongside Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Jack Hobbs and Viv Richards.
“The greatest cricketer who has ever played the game,” Hussain told Fox Sports before the service began.
“Unbelievable cricketer and bloke.”
In a panel discussion in the middle of the MCG with former Australian stars Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Merv Hughes, and West Indies legend Brian Lara, Hussain told a story about Warne getting him out in a tri-series final in 1999.
“I sledged him for some apparent reason and I’ve said something ‘like enjoy your last game as captain’,” Hussain said during the service.
Merv Hughes attends the state memorial service for former Australian cricketer Shane Warne. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
“I’ll be surprised if you haven’t got the footage of me running down the pitch, very next delivery after that slog sweep and getting stumped.
“It was a privilege to be on a cricket field with you – you were the greatest bowler I ever saw.”
Border believed Warne’s arrival on the international scene helped prolong his own career.
“It revitalised my captaincy towards the end of my time.
“I was lucky to have two years with Shane and I just thank him for that.”
Lara called Warne the “greatest Australian that I know”.
Hughes recounted a story of Warne memorably honouring a promise for a kindergarten auction and praised his generosity.
“A very loyal friend, and as good as he was in the cricket field, he was five times better off it.
“Very loyal, and if he said he was going to do something, he would deliver.”
Shane Warne’s father Keith delivers his eulogy. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Despite Warne and Steve Waugh famously falling out, the former Australian captain was seated at the memorial service alongside Adam Gilchrist.
Brett Lee, who played with Warne during a golden era for Australia, said there would never be anyone like him.
The greatest Australian cricketers of the last 40 years, including Glenn McGrath and Michael Clarke, were among those in the crowd.
Current Australian stars watched the service from home and abroad with the white-ball squad in Pakistan for ODIs and a Twenty20.
But Warne’s sporting interests were not just confined to cricket, with AFL club St Kilda one of his great passions.
Retired Saints champion Nick Riewoldt was one of Warne’s all-time favourite AFL players.
Riewoldt could not believe one of Australia’s greatest sportspeople worshipped him.
“He was just a massive fan and enormous mentor to all St Kilda people.”
A trumpeter played St Kilda’s theme song, ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ near the conclusion of the service.
A number of former AFL stars who did not even play for St Kilda, including Gary Ablett Jnr and Brendan Fevola, were in the audience.
The Great Southern Stand at the MCG was formally unveiled as the Shane Warne Stand by his children – Brooke, Summer and Jackson – to close an epic ceremony.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
Read what Once Upon a Time on the Roar has to say. Bradman was a champion, but so were Hobbs, Sobers, Richards and Warne. I remember watching Brian Lara score 277 in the 3rd Test against Australia in Sydney, January 1993 and thinking that the only way they will get him out will be to run him out and that is what happened. He is the only batsman to have a Test 400, and he had a first class 500. The top five were champions indeed.
Bobbo7
Guest
Yeah, na. Elite batsman across eras have averaged between 52 and 57 or so. You cannot.just explain away 40% better than given the number of g a mess Bradman played. Bradman also averaged 95 in FC cricket in 600+ innings. Lara and Tendulkar didn't even have the top averages in thier own era. If players in Bradman's era were averaging in the 80s I'd accept there was an era argument, but they didn't.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Very welcome Rowdy.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
You filled in the missing link. Thanks.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Just to clarify, what I meant with Lara is that the only thing that would have stopped him matching Bradman's colossal stats is that he would have been playing on the same pitches that Headley played on.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Yes. And Steve Smith too. Even to a lesser extent Steve Waugh. Not Mark - he is of the McCabe and Trumper mould.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Interesting thoughts on Lara. Would not the same apply to Tendulkar and others of great standing?
Bludger
Guest
Greatest cricketer implies they can do it with bat, ball and field. Sobers, Miller, Khan, Hadlee, Botham, Gilchrist ..........
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Bradman was like the kid of the team coach who had to do all the batting, even though there are other capable players in the team. The coach of course was the Australian public and the other great stroke player in Australia in the 1930s, Stan McCabe, probably felt obliged to live in his shadow. Whenever McCabe had the opportunity to emerge guilt free from Bradman's shadow, he did so gloriously, for example his 187 not out against bodyline and on the tour of Saffie Land, both times of which Bradman wasn't playing, Trent Bridge 1938 when Bradman failed and Old Trafford 1934 when Bradman batted 6 presumably on account of illness. The only time McCabe scored a century when Bradman did was in Melbourne 1937, and he stopped at 112 because Bradman had scored 169. I suspect that McCabe is one of those players who has a minimum of padding on his stats. When conditions facilitated an even contest between bat and ball, Bradman wasn't to be feared. He batted on a rain affected pitch 14 times in his 80 test innings and scored one solitary 50. George Headley, in his 40 test innings, batted on a rain affected pitch 13 times and scored 7 50s. Brian Lara could have easily matched Bradman's statistics had he been around back then, except that Lara would not have been playing the majority of his innings on the roads in Australia.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
Bradman was a professional largely competing against amateurs. I don’t believe the overall standard at the highest level was as strong then as it is now in a professional sport. Much more cricket is played these days making it harder to maintain top performances. A friend told me that Bradman himself said that some of the pitches he batted on were absolute roads. I don’t believe Bradman stands significantly above Sobers, Richards and Warne. Hobbs is also in that bracket.
Bobbo7
Guest
Bradman's stats were light years ahead of anyone in his era or anyone else's. His peers had the same systems, pitches etc and were no where near him. The era argument against Bradman doesn't work.
Bobbo7
Guest
Yes. Bradman then daylight.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
There were a number of articles being posted at the same time last night re Warne and the service and I thought it was best to have one place for people to come together and comment, rather than fragment the discussion.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I agree. I think I'm swayed by the likes of Warne and Sobers. They had that something that some other brilliant players don't. Comparing eras is too fraught and ends up sounding artificial and twee.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
It is difficult to compare eras. Bradman was a professional in an amateur era, much less cricket was played then compared with the present. More time will be needed to make an objective judgment but a fair question to ask is “who was the best cricketer?”
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Definitely an anomaly. He took spin everywhere but India. Maybe the ball doesn’t spin the other way there. And proving wristspin truly is the hardest. We all know fingerspinners are just failed wristspinners.
Dirk
Guest
Warnie could be annoying in commentary if he veered away from cricket and his slagging off of certain players was questionable, but he certainly wasn't despised. Think you're looking for an argument.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
I think people were more familiar with his commentary and his grudges against some people, eg Steve Waugh, rather than what he was like as a person overall, a lot of which has become clearer in tributes since his passing.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
What was the issue?
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Although he had a poor record against India - only averaged 47 with the ball in 14 matches. I don’t think any other candidate for greatest ever, such as Bradman or Sobers, had a poor record against anybody.