Australian cricket has paid a fitting tribute to iconic leg-spinner Shane Warne by renaming a prestigious honour after the legend.
The Australian Men’s Test Player of the Year award has been named after Warne, to mark the cricket icon's achievement of playing 145 Tests for his country over 15 years, between 1992 and 2007.
Warne died of a suspected heart attack in March while on holiday in Thailand which shocked the cricketing world. Tributes were paid to the 52-year-old before Australia took on South Africa in their traditional Boxing Day Test held at Warne's home ground the MCG. After his death earlier this year, the MCG’s Great Southern Stand was renamed in his memory.
“As one of Australia’s all-time greats, it is fitting we acknowledge Shane’s extraordinary contribution to Test cricket by naming this award in his honour in perpetuity,” said Cricket Australia's chief executive Nick Hockley.
“Shane was a proud advocate of Test cricket and you only have to look around at all the fans who came out to the MCG in their floppy hats and zinc on Boxing Day to realise what a profound impact he had on the game.
“The whole cricket community continues to mourn his loss and our thoughts, as always, are with Shane’s family and friends, particularly his children Brooke, Jackson and Summer.”
Warne's iconic leg-spin revolutionised Australian cricket and his Test hat-trick at the MCG in the 1994 Ashes match went down in Australian history books.
Warne took 708 Test match wickets - a record which was only beaten by Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
Members of Warne's family were at the MCG for the Boxing Day Test and “Warnie 350” was stencilled into the field - a nod to the cricket icon's Australian Test cap number.
