CA names top Test award after Shane Warne

Australia’s men’s Test Player of the Year award will be renamed in Shane Warne’s honour, officials said yesterday, as tributes were paid to the late spin-king at the Boxing Day Test against South Africa.
Warne, considered by many as second in stature only to Donald Bradman in sports-mad Australia, died unexpectedly aged just 52 in March.
The Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year award will be presented annually, second only to the prestigious Allan Border Medal for the most outstanding player across all formats.
“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 CA 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.”
The announcement came on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Warne’s home venue where he achieved many memorable feats, including an Ashes hat-trick and his 700th Test wicket.
Warne’s Test cap number 350 has been painted square of the wicket for the duration of the match, while both the Australian and South African teams wore floppy white hats in his memory during the national anthem ceremony.
“His place as a legend of Australian and world sport is assured,” added Hockley.
“Whilst we continue to mourn his passing, it is fitting that we honour Shane at his beloved Boxing Day Test at the MCG.”
A stand at the venue has already been named in his honour.
At exactly 3.50pm on the opening day of the second Test yesterday, players of both teams and fans stood and applauded the memory of Warne.

It’s a beautiful moment
“It’s a beautiful moment,” Warne’s former teammate Adam Gilchrist says on Fox Cricket.
Melbourne’s Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy became emotional when paying tribute to Warne and his former teammate Andrew Symonds, who tragically died in a single-vehicle car crash in May.
“I want to pay a special tribute to our beautiful brother Andrew Symonds, who is no longer with us but is resting with his ancestors,” Aunty Joy told the MCG.
“Today we celebrate the legendary Shane Warne. To his family and friends, which is each and every one of you here today, what a legend.
“It is a wonderful opportunity it is that I have to say that this will always be his resting place here on Wurundjeri country.”
“The happiness outweighs the sadness tenfold,” Warne’s son Jackson said on Fox Cricket.
“To see all the zinc cream on everyone’s faces, to see everyone with the floppy hats is unbelievable. To be also in front of the greatest man ever - in front of the Shane Warne stand - is just awesome.”
Credited with reviving the art of leg-spin, Warne took 708 Test wickets as part of a dominant Australian team in the 1990s and 2000s before becoming a respected commentator.
On March 4, 2022, when he was on holiday in Thailand, Warne died of a suspected heart attack.
An icon who transcended boundaries, he received an outpouring of tributes from both the cricket world and the wider community in Australia and across the globe.
A memorial service to farewell Warne held at the ground in March was attended by more than 50,000 people.