“He was unbelievably present”

Shane Warne farewelled by cricket legends, music royalty, thousands at the MCG and an audience of millions.

We will never know, but you get the feeling Shane Warne would approve.

The cricket legend’s family are asking mourners to wear their “cricket whites” to his memorial service in front of an expected 50,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Elton John, Chris Martin and Ed Sheeran will play a role in celebrating one of the world’s most loved cricketers and characters.

At 52-years of age Warne died of a suspected heart attack in Thailand earlier this month, his sudden passing impacted millions around the world.

Lachlan Kitchen is a cricket commentator based in Dubai, he’s witnessed Warne’s magical ways at the Indian premier league.

“It’s underestimated in Australia how big his work was received in the first series of the IPL (Indian Premier League) in 2008.

He worked with the Rajasthan Royals as both captain and coach. He took the team that no one liked, a bunch of misfits.”

LACHLAN KITCHEN, CRICKET COMMENTATOR

The team of “misfits” went on to win the tournament.

Warne was a storyteller, a freak athlete, a great friend, but also a businessman.

“There’s a little known story about Shane Warne that he was one of the smallest paid in the IPL in that first season. But he did a back-end deal where each year he played for the Rajasthan Royals he was given 0.75 ownership of the club. He played four seasons so he got a nice tidy little sum” Kitchen says.

Perhaps it’s Warne’s charm that will live longest in the memory.

Kitchen revealed another moment that took place at the 2013 Ashes series inside the media centre.

“He was running late, his suit wasn’t pressed, ready for T.V. commentary. And the room stopped because there was a boy with a disability who was trying to get Shane to come over. Y

You’ve never seen someone so charming. For this young boy, no one else in the world mattered. Warnie was just so unbelievably present.”

LACHLAN KITCHEN

Millions have been impacted by the sudden death of the “King of spin”.

Perhaps we can all take a lesson from his very special kit bag.