Warne set for memorable farewell at MCG

Shane Warne, one of the biggest personalities in cricket and Australian sport, will be given one of the grandest farewells his home city of Melbourne has ever seen.

Almost four weeks since the cricket legend's death in Thailand, a memorial service at the MCG tonight will be attended by up to 65,000 people.

It will be a celebration like no other as celebrities and the Victorian public pay tribute to a larger-than-life character who transcended sport.

With 50,000 seats already taken, another 15,000 tickets have been released to ensure it becomes one of the biggest memorial services in Australian history.

But this service will be as unique as Warne himself.

Two of Warne's former captains in Allan Border and Mark Taylor will be part of the service, as will West Indies legend Brian Lara and former England skipper Nasser Hussain, while

A number of international stars, including Elton John, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran will perform remotely, while Australian rocker Jon Stevens will front a band playing some of Warne's favourite INXS and Noiseworks songs.

Iconic Australians Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, James Packer, Eric Bana, Greg Norman, as well as American surfing legend Kelly Slater, will also pay tribute to arguably the country's greatest-ever cricketer after Don Bradman.

Great mate Aaron Hamill, who played 98 AFL games for Warne's beloved St Kilda, is confident the send-off will capture the larrikin's spirit.

"He'd be bloody shattered he's missed it," Hamill said.

"I know that - this sort of shindig would be right up his alley, particularly in Melbourne.

"I know he'd be really humbled, he'd be really proud to get the recognition, he never seeked it but he'd certainly be sitting up there, with probably a dart (cigarette) in hand, and very grateful.

"He often used to talk about seizing the moment and the opportunity and there is no fear within. And that's really how he attacked life."

The service will be live streamed on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app to a global audience, and will be broadcast on Fox Cricket and Kayo as well as four of Australia's five free-to-air TV networks.

Warne's three children – Brooke, Summer and Jackson – his father Keith and brother Jason will also speak while the Shane Warne Stand, formerly known as the Great Southern Stand, will be formally unveiled.

The two-hour event will get underway at 7pm AEDT.

All you need to know for the Shane Warne Memorial

If you're a sports fan and in Melbourne, there's no better place to be tonight than at the MCG. More than 50,000 free tickets have already been snapped up and another 15,000 have been made available.

Click here to get your tickets for tonight's service

Doors open to the public at 5.30pm

Those who are coming have been asked to wear cricket gear and to be in their seats by 6.45pm AEDT.

A documentary, Goodbye Warnie, will play on the MCG big screens from 5.55pm to 6.45pm AEDT.

There will be a minute’s silence at 6.59pm AEDT before the Memorial Service begins at 7pm AEDT.

There will be no alcohol available at the MCG tonight, and the service is expected to last about two hours.

Order of Service

The official Order of Service for the ceremony will be published later today, but some details have already been confirmed.

A Welcome to Country will take place before Australian operatic soprano Greta Bradman, granddaughter of Sir Donald, performs the National Anthem.

Master of Ceremonies Eddie McGuire will lead a night of tributes from Warne’s teammates, friends and media colleagues, including a taped musical performances by Elton John, Robbie Williams, Chris Martin and Ed Sheeran. Live performances will come from Jon Stevens and Anthony Callea.

Family members will speak before the night concludes with Warne’s children formally unveiling the MCG stand named in their father's honour.

The service is due to conclude by 9.30pm AEDT.

How to watch

The service will be live streamed on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app.

It will also be shown on Fox Cricket and Kayo, as well as the Seven, Nine, Ten and ABC free-to-air networks. The ABC is broadcasting the service on the ABC News channel, while Seven is showing it on its main channel (but broadcast will be delayed until 7pm local time in Queensland, SA and WA). It can be found on Nine GEM and Ten Bold outside of Melbourne.

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