Shane Warne death: Eddie McGuire looks heartbroken as he pays tribute at the MCG

A grief-stricken Eddie McGuire looked downcast and heartbroken as he walked beside a memorial sign in honour of his friend Shane Warne on Saturday morning.

The former Collingwood president and Fox commentator appeared at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) where he bid farewell to the sporting legend, who died on Friday at age 52 following a suspected heart attack in Thailand.

‘I don’t know if anyone will ever be able to repeat his feats,’ the 57-year-old said outside the stadium, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Devastated: A grief-stricken Eddie McGuire looked downcast and heartbroken as he walked beside a memorial sign for his good friend Shane Warne on Saturday morning

‘He was a man of his time, he reintroduced the leg-spin, he helped Test cricket when it started to fail, he breathed life into one-day cricket.’

He went on to say that the cricketer will never be forgotten in years to come.

‘I would like to think Warnie’s great legacy will be that if you work hard enough and you’ve got a talent, and you have a go, you can make it happen,’ he added.

‘I would like to think Warnie’s great legacy will be that if you work hard enough and you’ve got a talent, and you have a go, you can make it happen,’ he said

‘He was a man of his time, he reintroduced the leg-spin, he helped Test cricket when it started to fail, he breathed life into one-day cricket,’ he added

McGuire looked to be holding back tears as he walked in front of the stand marquee which says: ‘Vale Shane Warne.’

Dressed in a sombre ensemble of a tie-less white shirt and black suit, the media personality appeared lost in thought.

Shane retired from test cricket in 2006, having taken a record 708 test wickets.

However, he still continued to play in the Indian Premier League and Big Bash until his retirement in 2013.

Good Mates: Eddie McGuire and Shane Warne seen here at the opening of the Crown Metropole hotel in Melbourne in 2010

McGuire shared the commentary box with Shane during sportscasts on the Nine Network.

Warne was at the network for more than 10 years, before signing with Sky Sports in 2009 and then moving to Fox Cricket in 2018, where he worked until his death.

At one point in their history McGuire was president of Big Bash cricket team Melbourne Stars, while Warne served as captain.

Reports confirm that MCG’s Great Southern Stand will be now known as the S. K. Warne Stand, in memory of the late cricketer.

A state funeral for Warne is set to be held in Melbourne, with a date to be confirmed in consultation with the Warne family, Cricket Australia and the Victorian Government ‘to ensure it honours Shane’s passing and memory’.

Close: Shane Warne and Eddie McGuire seen here at the MCG in 2011 – the day Warne announced he would return to cricket with the Big Bash side Melbourne Stars, where Eddie was president

Send off: A state funeral for Warne is set to be held in Melbourne , with a date to be confirmed in consultation with the Warne family, Cricket Australia and the Victorian Government ‘to ensure it honours Shane’s passing and memory’ Pictured: Eddie and Shane in 2014

Tributes poured in after Warne was found dead while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand on Friday evening.

Four friends staying with him battled to save his life for 20 minutes, police have said.

The Australian megastar cricketer turned pundit and businessman, and the greatest leg spinner in history, was found unconscious in a villa in the resort.

Thai police said that Warne was staying in the villa with four friends, and when one of the group tried to wake Shane for food at around 5pm local time today he was found to be unresponsive.

Heartache: Australian cricket hero and legendary leg-spinner, Shane Warne, pictured at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 18, died suddenly aged 52 on Friday

Officers said the friends performed CPR on him for around 20 minutes before an ambulance arrived and took Warne to the Thai International Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Speaking this evening by phone, Police Senior Sergeant Major Suporn Hemruangsree said: ‘Police received a report about somebody who died at the Thai International Hospital so we went and asked the hotel, and found out that the deceased was with four other friends and died in the room.

‘In the villa, the people were sleeping in separate rooms. They were sleeping from afternoon to evening, until about 5pm.

‘At 5pm somebody came to call out this person for dinner but the deceased did not respond so they called three other friends to perform CPR for 20 minutes. They waited for the ambulance to come.

‘The doctor announced the death of the person at 6:53pm. Police went and checked the room and there was no sign of intrusion or possessions being searched through. The body was sent for an autopsy at Koh Samui Hospital.’

Cricket great: Warne became a global star in 1993 by bowling out Mike Gatting with the so-called ‘Ball of the Century’ – his first ball in Ashes cricket. He went on to get 708 test wickets, tormenting teams all over the world, especially Australia’s great rival England

Team player: Pictured in 1997 with her fellow Aussie cricketers in the change rooms of the 4th test match in England

Warne’s manager separately confirmed his death, saying that the father-of-three could not be revived.

‘It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand today, Friday March 4,’ a statement from the management company read.

The statement added: ‘Shane was found unresponsive in his Villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived. The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.’

Warne became a global star in 1993 by bowling out Mike Gatting with the so-called ‘Ball of the Century’ – his first ball in Ashes cricket.

He went on to get 708 test wickets, tormenting teams all over the world, especially Australia’s great rival England.

Warne is survived by his three children, Jackson, Summer and Brooke, all of whom he shares with his ex-wife of ten years Simone Callahan.

MailOnline understands Warne landed in Thailand yesterday and was seen looking happy while chatting with fans at the airport and looked like he was on a boys’ break.

He is believed to have died at the luxury Samujana Villas resort in Koh Samui.

Family: Shane is survived by his three children, Jackson, Summer and Brooke, all of whom he shares with his ex-wife of ten years Simone Callahan

The amazing cricket career of Shane Keith Warne

Tests: 145

Debut: v India, Sydney, 1992

Wickets: 708

Five-wicket hauls: 37

Average: 25.41

Best bowling: 8-71 v England

Runs: 3,154 at an average of 17.32

High score: 99

One-day internationals: 194

Wickets: 293

Five-wicket hauls: 1

Best bowling: 5-33 v West Indies

Average: 25.73

Runs: 1,018

High score: 55

* Arguably the most famous and influential cricketer since Don Bradman, Warne is widely credited with revitalising the art of leg spin bowling after an era dominated by fast bowlers.

* Was named one of Wisden’s five best players of the 20th century.

* First player to take 700 wickets, although his record was ultimately surpassed by Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets).

* Chosen for the 1993 Ashes tour of England a year after an unpromising Test debut, Warne bowled England captain Mike Gatting with his first delivery, later dubbed the ball of the century’.

* Became the first player in over 90 years to take a hat-trick in the Ashes when he achieved the feat against England at Melbourne in 1994.

* Was fined by the Australian Cricket Board in 1995 after admitting taking money from a man associated with an Indian bookmaker for providing information about pitches and weather, but the case was hushed up for three years.

* Underwent surgery in 1998 to repair a career-threatening shoulder injury, then another operation to repair a damaged finger as the wear and tear of bowling started taking its toll.

* Relaunched his career at the 1999 World Cup and was named man of the match in Australia’s victory over Pakistan in the final.

* Broke Dennis Lillee’s Australian record of 355 test wickets on tour in New Zealand in 2000 but then lost the test vice-captaincy for sending lewd text messages to an English nurse.

* Made a miraculous recovery from injury to join the team for the 2003 World Cup but was sent home in disgrace before the tournament began after failing a drugs test. He was banned for 12 months.

* Made his return against Sri Lanka in 2004, taking 10 wickets in his first match to pass 500 test wickets.

* Separated from his wife Simone in 2005 following media reports of his adultery before becoming the first player to reach 600 test wickets.

* Took 40 wickets in the 2005 Ashes series and finished the year with 96 to break Lillee’s long-standing world record of 85 in a calendar year.

* Bowled Monty Panesar to seal Australia’s victory in the third test against England to regain the Ashes in 2006 and three days later announced he would quit international cricket at the end of the series.

* Reached the once-unthinkable 700 wicket milestone in his penultimate test and clinched his 708th in the final test which sealed a 5-0 whitewash for Australia.

* Finished his career with the most runs in Tests (3,154) without a hundred to his name, coming closest against New Zealand when he scored 99 in Perth in 2001.

* Retired from first-class cricket after a season with English county Hampshire but was lured back by the riches of the Indian Premier League in 2008, signing up as captain and coach of the Rajasthan Royals.

* Led the Royals to the first IPL title against the Chennai Super Kings in a nail-biting final that went down to the last ball.

* Picked up the wicket of Rohit Sharma and led the Royals to a thumping 10-wicket victory in his final game as a professional cricketer.

* Announced his retirement from professional cricket in May 2011.

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