Australian cricket legend Shane Warne was remembered at the MCG on Boxing Day Testagainst South Africa

It was the most emotional start to a Boxing Day Test ever as fans, players and family members paid tribute to Shane Warne in the place where he was most admired: the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Flat caps and zinc, both synonymous with ‘Warnie’, were seen throughout the MCG, with even Channel 7 and Fox Cricket’s broadcast teams donning thoughtful tributes.

After Australian skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and sent roars round the MCG as he announced that the side had bowled first, tributes poured in for Warne, who died in March earlier this year aged just 52; shocking the entire cricketing world.

A video tribute featuring Coldplay’s Yellow was played around the country at the first Test played at Warne’s home ground after his death. Warne was very close with Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

Shane Warne acknowledges the MCG crowd in 2006 after taking his 700th Test wicket. The Aussie legend was honored in today’s Boxing Day Test – the first time at his home ground since his tragic death in March.

Aussie star David Warner, playing in his 100th Test, and his team-mates (their South African players also followed suit) wore floppy hats in honor of Shane Warne, who preferred the broadside to the traditional baggy green.

Fans wore colorful shirts and floppy disks as they paid their respects to Warnie in the Test

Cricket fans line up at the MCC members’ stand ahead of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa

‘WARNIE 350’ has been painted on the hallowed MCG turf for this Boxing Day Test in honor of the late Victorian legend and his cap number.

Warne’s former teammate Simon Katich paid tribute to one of the game’s greatest figures on and off the field.

‘He was true to himself. He was what he was and he didn’t try to be anybody else,” the former Aussie opener said on Channel 7.

– He was also the best cyclist of all time. I also loved how he respected our family and the time he gave to the kids and the fans of the game.

“He was so generous with his time, with charity, on the field, and also passing on his knowledge to the younger generation. So it’s special to pay tribute to him,” Katich said.

Shane Warne, pictured thanking the crowd after a thrilling Ashes Test in England in 2005, preferred a floppy hat to a dangling green one throughout his career.

The Aussie players donned white floppy hats in Warne’s honor before the start of the Test

Aussie players watch a tribute to Shane Warne before kick-off in front of the stand that bears his name

As local Indigenous elder Aunty Joy performed the customary Welcome to Country song, she choked back tears as she remembered those gone far too soon.

‘Today we also celebrate the legendary Shane Warne. And to his family and friends, which is every one of you here today, what a legend,” he said.

“It is a wonderful occasion that I must say that this will always be his resting place here in Wurundjeri land.

“I also want to pay special respect to our beautiful brother Andrew Symonds who is no longer with us but rests with his ancestors,” said Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy.

Fans, pundits and former players flooded social media with tearful tributes to Warne, with many still in disbelief that the Boxing Day Test did not feature ‘Warnie’ playing or commentating.

Adam Gilchrist, one of Warne’s close friends, who commented alongside the legend on Fox Sports after their successful careers on the field, said there will never be another ‘Warnie’.

“Very few people made an impact on the game, not just the cricketing landscape but Australian society, like Shane Warne,” he said on Fox Cricket.

“He could mix with royalty, but he could also mix with the common man and woman. The girls and boys around him were inspired by his actions.

“His legacy will live long into the future.”

Aussie legspin great Kerry O’Keeffe echoed Gilchrist’s sentiments and explained why the larrikin was so loved by the MCG crowd.

Fans circle the Shane Warne statue in front of the MCG just before the match

It was about national pride and, for many fans, MCG for the Test fans

Opting for a colorful shirt-shorts-pineapple combo, this fashionable bunch of fans are no doubt ready for a huge day of cricket on Boxing Day!

“If you try to analyze why this MCG crowd loved him so much, I think it’s because he practiced his wizardry against the best international batsmen, but outsiders thought he could sit alongside them and chew a burger and a cheeky cigarette in the back,” he said.

That’s why they said one of theirs was there. They responded with so much love for him.

Warne’s brother Jason had previously told how the pair went to the famous MCG for a Test, the Ashes no less, in 1982 and said seeing his name now in the stands at the stadium was special.

“It’s pretty cool that his position is here,” he sharedSydney Morning Herald.

“Now we’re getting to the stage where we have to celebrate him more and remember all his good sides.”

Jason Warne (right, pictured with brother Shane and Aussie music icon Molly Meldrum) said on behalf of him and his family that now is the time to remember all the good things about ‘Warnie’

Shane Warne walks off the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of tens of thousands of adoring fans after taking his 700th wicket against England in 2006. He finished the next Test.

Earlier, Aussie off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who is nicknamed ‘GOAT’ – which stands for greatest of all time – spoke about his confusing nickname and how special it is to honor the man he replaced in the baggy green. .

“I have a nickname THE GOAT, which is a bit ridiculous. It’s Shane. He’s the biggest,” he shared News Corp.

“It’s going to be a very emotional test for everyone. It’s going to be very special that this is the first test on his home turf after losing.

– The fact that we get to be in the middle with everyone else who respects Shane Warne will be special.

‘Warnie was obviously the biggest (influencer) you could ever imagine. Especially as a young kid growing up in Australia, I just wanted to be like Shane Warne,” said Lyon, who was often mentored by Warne.

Shane Warne (left) gives advice to Nathan Lyon (back to camera) before the 2013 Ashes Test in England. Lyon has spoken several times since the tragic death about how much Warne had influenced his career

Shane Warne left behind three children (L-R): Jackson, Summer and Brooke when he tragically died earlier this year aged just 52.

Warne died of a massive heart attack aged just 52 while holidaying in Koh Samui, Thailand on March 4, leaving the cricketing world in shock.

The 145-Test veteran took 708 wickets and transformed leg-spin in a way no one before him had done – and it was a figure that almost transcended the game.

Warne left behind three children – Brooke, Summer and Jackson – and Australian cricket will never be the same without him.