Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins on Wednesday gave a poetic tribute to Shane Warne ahead of the spin great's state memorial in Melbourne.
Cricket Australia posted an emotional video on their social media handles of Cummins reading a poem to the former Aussie spinner.
Lightning in a Bolt: An ode to Shane Warne was penned by journalist Adam Burnett.
“In your mind's eye still you see him, standing calm atop his mark,' Cummins begins the poem. Ball in hand, it's fizzing, as he looks around the park. He waits another heartbeat, points his fielders where to go. It's all part of the magic act, it's all part of the show. His walk begins, deliberate, it builds towards its height. He lets it go, the rest we know – has there been a better sight?” read Cummins.
He continued: “'He was just a bloke – extraordinary – but fallible and flawed. It meant he felt like one of us, made him all the more adored. Which is why he's left us grappling, left the cricket world defeated. From Launceston to the Long Room, we've all been left depleted. But flip that thought and think instead how enriched we are by Warne. Let's salute a pure entertainer – the greatest bowler ever born.”
Warne, who is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time, died aged 52 earlier this month from a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand.
Musician Elton John performed "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" via video while there were similar musical performances from Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams and Coldplay's Chris Martin.
