The Sky commentary box at Lords has been renamed after Australian cricket great Shane Warne after he passed away in March. Warne was found dead in a villa in Thailand, with a post-mortem confirming he died of natural causes.
The leg-spinner enjoyed a remarkably successful career for his native Australia, becoming the second most successful bowler in Test cricket after taking 708 wickets across 15 years. Following success on the pitch the Aussie star also strived off it, becoming one of the most recognised commentators in the sport.
Warne often featured as part of the Sky Sports commentary team alongside a number of his old rivals, including Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain.
In recognition, arguably the most recognisable cricket ground on the planet in Lord’s has named their Sky commentary box after the spinner in tribute. In a short statement on Twitter the official Lord’s account wrote: “The @SkyCricket commentary box in the J.P. Morgan Media Centre at Lord’s is going to be renamed in memory of Shane Warne.”
The famous ground will play host to the first Test match of the English summer next week when England - under the new management of Brendan Mcullum - take on New Zealand. In the wake of the commentary box tribute, Sky Cricket also confirmed they would be sharing a two-part documentary dedicated to Warne across their coverage of the Test match.
It was also confirmed that the commentary booth will be officially opened on the first day of the England-New Zealand clash on June 2, by Warne’s former Sky Cricket colleague and newly appointed England Managing Director Rob Key. A minute’s applause at the 23rd over - the number Warne wore on his back - will also take place on day one of the Test.
Paying tribute to the Australian, Sky Sports Director of Cricket Bryan Henderson said : “On the pitch, he was simply the greatest, while off it, he was a wonderful and loyal friend. No words can capture his contribution to the game.
“But, his magic on the field as well as in the commentary box and in life itself will never be forgotten. We hope our tributes to him during this Test will remind those who witnessed him in action of his greatness as well as hopefully introduce young cricket fans to a cricketing legend.”
What is your favourite ever memory of Shane Warne? Let us know in the comments section below.
MCC Chief Executive & Secretary Guy Lavender also spoke of Warne's legacy, and the commentary box in his name, commenting: “Shane Warne was a man who entertained us on the field and was passionate about improving the sport off it.
"He was an Honorary Life Member of MCC and we were fortunate to benefit from this directly through his work on our World Cricket committee and also as our Head Coach of London Spirit men's team last summer. We are hugely supportive of Sky's commemoration of Shane which I am sure will be a fitting tribute to a true legend of the game.”
