Cheers Mate! Fans honour Shane Warne with flowers, beers, meat pie and more

Legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne passed away on Friday of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52, sending shockwaves across the cricketing community.

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Stunned fans gathered around Warnie's one-and-a-half times larger than life bronze statue in his native Melbourne. They offered flowers, cigarettes, beers and meat pie in the memory of an imperfect hero whose skill and personality transcended cricket.

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When the spin great attended the unveiling of this statue outside his beloved Melbourne Cricket Ground more than a decade ago, he quipped that the time he spent with the sculptor, who measured him for about four hours, was worthwhile. Warne also added that he cherished the thought of the statue being a future reference point - a place for Australians to gather together.

Warne had said, "It's a pretty amazing walk down to the MCG for whatever it is you're doing. So to have a place here where people can meet and say, 'I'll meet you at the Shane Warne statue' will be nice."

Now, on a damp Saturday morning over ten years later, fans gathered around the legendary spinner's statue to mark his untimely death and joined in their shared grief. Floral tributes were seen resting at the base of the Warne statue, with a few cans and bottles of beer being a standout.

Warne had been a reference point that brought Aussies together for much of the last three decades. From his Test debut against India in 1992 to his incisive commentary, the spin great captured the imagination of countless backyard cricketers and kindled dreams of setting the world of cricket on fire.

Most fans of Shane Warne will remember him, particularly for the 'Ball of the Century' against England's Mike Gatting - a delivery which will remain etched in their memories. "I was in China at the time and watching TV and when they showed that clip," said Chris Morrow to news agency AFP. "Here I was in the middle of Qingdao going 'whoop, whoop, whoop' it was the greatest moment," the fan added.

Chris Morrow came to the MCG to pay his last respects to cricket's rock star, Warne, who gained fame for his hard-charging life off-field as much as his prowess on it. Chris, along with a friend, laid down a few items beloved by Warne -- a "meat pie from a service station, and a packet of Winfield Blue (cigarettes), and half a dozen VBs (beers)."

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