In an extremely warming gesture On the opening day of the first test match between England and New Zealand, all members of both sides paused the game and applauded Shane Warne, the recently departed Australian legend cricketer. In honour of his number 23, the ground announcer requested 23 seconds of continuous applause.
To any cricket fan, the name Shane Warne is quite familiar. The spin legend was famous for his exceptional bowling, chatty commentary, and open-heartedness. On 4th March 2022, the world was taken aback the moment the news about his demise came out. For many fans, it came as a shocker and many denied believing it. The beloved genius was showered with love and tributes from the cricketing fraternity, world leaders, and celebrities.
Shane Warne was a personality widely celebrated. He may have had his own antics but his skill with the ball, never-lose attitude, and team spirit made him what every spin bowler aspired to be, around the world.
While Kiwis were at 37 for 6, the at Lord’s was called off after the 23rd over as all the players lined up in the middle of the pitch to pay homage to the late Shane Warne with everyone inside the stadium stood in honour of the Australian cricket hero, praising him.
The Lord’s stadium has also paid tribute to Warne’s contributions as a cricket commentator. The Sky Sports Commentary Box at Lords was renamed ‘Shane Warne Commentary Box’ ahead of the game.
During his playing days, Shane Warne donned the No. 23 jersey in honour of his childhood hero, Australian rules footballer Dermott Brereton. The legendary spinner who took 708 wickets in 145 Tests, second only to Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, passed away in March this year at the age of 52, due to cardiac arrest.
The same match saw some incredible action by England bowlers as they did not let any Kiwi batter settle at the crease. James Anderson making comeback to the Test squad bowled an incredible first spell that kept everyone on their toes. Stuart Broad helped him from the other end. It was the day of bowlers as the young debutant Tote took a wicket in the first over of his Test match career.
