BBL 2022-23: MCG honour late Shane Warne with stoppage at the 23rd ball mark during the match

The Melbourne Cricket Stadium paid tribute to the legendary Shane Warne who passed away this year with a standstill moment in the ongoing BBL 2022 fixture between Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes. Notably, Warne played for the Stars for a major part of his career since his retirement from international cricket and the fans at the stadium have shown immense love and respect for him.  

To honour the spin wizard, the players and umpires in the ground alongside the crowd in the stadium came to a standstill moment at the 23rd ball of the innings. Warne’s jersey number for Melbourne Stars was 23 and the image of it came on the big screen for the fans who turned quite emotional.

A fitting tribute to The King at the 23rd ball 💚👑 #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/cExoLDSWXS

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 16, 2022

The official Twitter handle of Big Bash League posted the video of the emotional moment as the crowd applauded Shane Warne for his efforts as well.

Warne honoured with the legend status

Warne is considered among the greatest spinners to have played the game and he picked up 708 wickets in 145 Tests for Australia. He recently was honoured with the 'legend' status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame for his immense contributions to the country and joined the elite list of Don Bradman, Keith Miller, Richie Benaud and Dennis Lillee who had been offered the status in the past. 

Cricket Australia had already dedicated a stand to Warne at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and a box at the Sky Sports commentary had been named after the spinner. He passed away on March 4 this year during his vacation to Thailand where he suffered a suspected heart attack. A lot of former cricketers arrived for his funeral and shed a lot of emotions in wake of his demise.