Shane Warne stand unveiled at Melbourne's Junction Oval

Cricket Victoria and St Kilda Cricket Club renamed one of the heritage-listed grandstands of the Junction Oval ground at Melbourne after the late spin great Shane Warne for his contribution to cricket of Victoria and St Kilda, teams which he represented at state and club levels. Cricket Victoria took to X to announce, "A lasting tribute to the King of Spin Cricket Victoria and @StKildaCricket today unveiled the Shane Warne Stand at Junction Oval alongside special guests in Shane's daughters Summer and Brooke, and his father Keith. Forever a Victorian and Australian sporting icon."

A lasting tribute to the King of Spin ❤️

Cricket Victoria and @StKildaCricket today unveiled the Shane Warne Stand at Junction Oval alongside special guests in Shane's daughters Summer and Brooke, and his father Keith.

Forever a Victorian and Australian sporting icon. pic.twitter.com/SuRVtz4FpT

— Cricket Victoria (@cricketvictoria) October 25, 2024

As per ESPNCricinfo, the process to rename the stand, which has been around since 1925 had started way before Warne's unfortunate demise in March 2022. The stand was previously named after Australian rules footballer Kevin Murray who has supported the change. Murray's name now adorns a stand at Brunswick Street Oval in Fitzroy in Melbourne.

Warne's father Keith and daughters Summer and Brooke were part of the unveiling ceremony, which took place before Victoria's match with New South Wales in the One Day Cup. Cricket Victoria also unveiled a Shane Warne exhibition in the foyer of their administration and high-performance centre at the stadium's northern end. The exhibition also features memorabilia from Warne's career and is a free-to-visit place.

"Today marks a very special and proud day for the Warne family to have a stand named the Shane Warne stand here at the Junction Oval is a wonderful tribute to Shane, who we know would be honoured to be chosen for such an accolade," Keith Warne said at the unveiling as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

"In February 1991 he made his first-class debut playing for Victoria against Western Australia here at the Junction Oval. Some of Shane's most enjoyable early cricketing years were whilst playing with his beloved St Kilda, especially when the matches were played here at the Junction Oval. As proud as Shane would be to know a stand at the Junction Oval bares his name, he would also be thrilled to know that he will now be forever linked with St Kilda Cricket Club and the Junction Oval. On behalf of her family, I'd like to thank Cricket Victoria and St Kilda Cricket Club for their support in honouring Shane with such a wonderful tribute, further enhancing Shane's incredible legacy," he added.

Warne passed away on March 4, 2022 after a heart attack while vacationing in Thailand. One of the most loved and followed cricketers in history, the Victorian single-handedly reinvented the art of leg-spin when he burst onto the international scene in the early 1990s.

And, by the time he bid adieu to the sport in 2007, Warne had become the first bowler to collect 700 Test wickets. Warne finished his international career with 708 Test wickets and a further 293 in One-Day Internationals, placing him second on the list of all-time international wicket-takers behind his great friend and rival Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka at 1,347. Warne, known to his Baggy Green mates as 'Warnie', also captained Australia in 11 One-Day Internationals, winning 10 and losing just once. (ANI)