The late Shane Warne has been paid tribute on the first day of the Boxing Day Test match by the crowd with his tipping hat celebration at 3:50 PM local time, a nod to his Test cap number 350. Former players Ricky Ponting, Michael Vaughan and Ian Botham will also follow the gesture through the Test match.
“I feel like every single day I’m in this whirlwind or tornado of Dad, everywhere I go, it’s just ‘Dad, Dad, Dad’,” Warne’s son Jackson said, speaking on Wednesday to the press.
“But when I come to events like Boxing Day … any activations for the Shane Warne Legacy, it just reminds me how many people love Dad – that’s why the numbers are so high, so many people still feel that shock. It doesn’t really feel real, that it will be four years in March, it’s gone like ‘that’.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>A record <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ashes?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Ashes</a> crowd tip their cap to Shane Warne at 3:50pm, a nod to his cap number being 350. <a href=”https://t.co/ML38iLQ5D9″>pic.twitter.com/ML38iLQ5D9</a></p>— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) <a href=”https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/2004416429529931969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>December 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
“If we can just try and encourage as many people to look after their heart — a lot of people look after their brain and muscles and bones, but forget about the heart,” Jackson further said.
Warne, who helped his nation win the World Cup in 1999 and was part of five Ashes-winning teams during his career, died aged 52. He died in Koh Samui, Thailand. Affectionately known as ‘Warnie’, he made his Test debut at the SCG in 1992 against India and gained international fame when he delivered the ball of the century in 1993, one to remember for ages for cricket fans around the world.
Warne was arguably the greatest leg-spinner of all time, with a tally of 708 Test match wickets. He also took 293 One-Day International wickets and made more than 300 appearances for Australia across all formats. Warne has also bagged more Ashes wickets than any other bowler in history.
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After retiring from international cricket, Warne added to his legend by doubling up as captain and coach of IPL team Rajasthan Royals’ remarkable title triumph in the event’s inaugural edition. A flamboyant personality both on and off the field, Warne also found success as a commentator and was considered among the sharpest analysts of the game.
