WATCH: Remembering Shane Warne: Lord’s rises in unison to pay tribute to the legend

Whole of Lord’s stood in applause in memory of Shane Warne, arguably the game’s greatest spin bowlers, on Day 1 of the ongoing first Test between England and New Zealand.

Play was paused after the 23rd over, and a 23-seconds of applause followed, with reference to Warne’s T-shirt numbered 23. A video, titled ‘Remembering Shane Warne’, was also played on the giant screen. The Sky Sports commentary box at the JP Morgan Media Centre has also been renamed as the Shane Warne commentary box in honour of the former Australian great.

The following announcement was made at the ground before the 23 seconds of applause: “On the 4th of March, the game lost a cricket legend and the greatest leg spinner of all time. His legacy transcends cricket and even sports on and off the field in the commentary boxes and as a coach. He will be remembered as a cricketing genius, as a portal icon and as a simply one-off of a kind. His shirt number was 23 and for those able, please be upstanding for 23 seconds of applause for one of the greats of the game, Shane Warne.” 

Watch the most gripping moment during the first day’s play here:

After 23 overs, the game pauses for 23 seconds of applause in memory of the the great Shane Warne 👏❤️ pic.twitter.com/zr2Ih2XK7o

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 2, 2022

Warne, who bamboozled the best of batters with his enviable art, bagged 708 Test wickets at 25.41 from 145 Tests, and was the first to 700 scalps in the format. 195 of those came in 36 Ashes Tests, wherein he tops the list by a fair distance. He also bagged 293 wickets from 194 ODIs, and was a key member in Australia’s 1999 World Cup winning side, with Player of the Match performances in the famous tied semi-final against South Africa and in the dominant win in the final against Pakistan at Lord’s.

On March 4, the cricketing fraternity mourned in disbelief, as Warne passed away due to a suspected heart attack during his trip to Thailand.

Former Australia captain Mark Taylor, who is commentating for the Test, remembered his team’s premier spinner.

“To have a commentary box named after you at Lord’s, where you tried to beat the old enemy, is a huge honour. It wouldn’t be lost on Warney and certainly won’t be lost on his family,” Taylor told Sky Sports.

“We have lost a great mate and a guy that endeared himself to the English public. They probably started out hating him because he took too many wickets but, by the end, they absolutely loved him. Why wouldn’t they? He was a terrific fella and is a great loss to the game. It shows you the fragility of life and that you have got to enjoy it. Some stories I can tell, some I can’t! He was just fun to be around. I think every player who has played with or against him and every commentator would say that about Warney.”

As of the day’s play, England were 116/7 in response to New Zealand’s 132 all-out at stumps, leaving the game evenly poised.