Shane Warne’s family and friends were joined by sports figures and celebrities at his private funeral, including the former England captain Michael Vaughan.
The service in Warne’s hometown of Melbourne was attended by about 80 guests, including his three children, parents, friends and the retired Test captains Mark Taylor, Allan Border and Vaughan.
The former leg spinner, considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time, died of a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand, on March 4, aged 52.
The television presenter Eddie McGuire, who anchors the Australian Football League show Fox Footy, hosted the service, which was also attended by former AFL greats.
McGuire described Warne as “Superman” and added: “The magic part about Shane Warne was that he sprinkled his gold dust everywhere he went.”
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The British actress Liz Hurley, Warne’s former girlfriend, was unable to attend the funeral because of work commitments.
Hurley, 56, said on Instagram: “My heart aches that I can’t be in Australia for Shane’s funeral. I was filming and, with the time jump, physically can’t get there. It still hasn’t really sunk in that he’s gone.”
A state memorial will be held at the MCG on March 30 and will be open to the public, with more than 50,000 fans expected to attend via a ballot.
It has been reported that Sir Elton John will perform live via video link for the state funeral and that other video tributes will include performances from Ed Sheeran and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Warne claimed 708 Test wickets, the second highest in history, in a 15-year career spanning 145 matches and also took 293 one-day international wickets, helping Australia win the 1999 World Cup.
