Galle stadium remembers legend unfurling a large ‘Shane Warne Stand’ banner around iconic Fort; his family gets emotional | Cricket News
A large banner scribbled with words, ‘Shane Warne Stand’, fluttered at the the horic Galle Fort that overlooks the namesake stadium on Wednesday, Fox Cricket reported. The next day the sign was spotted at the small stand to the west, next to the Galle Cricket Club. The gesture reached Jackson Warne, son of the late legend Shane Warne, even as Australia played the first Test of the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy at the venue, which nurtures a deep love for Warnie.
“Hello everybody, I just wanted to quickly share this photo with you guys,” the legend’s son, Jackson Warne, said on a video on Instagram, as per Fox. “This is a sign in honour of dad that the Sri Lankans have made for the Australia versus Sri Lanka Test. This is their first Test match in Galle … just wanted to share it with you guys because I think it’s awesome. So thank you to the Sri Lankans that have done this, it looks amazing.”
Story continues below this ad
The 25-year-old made a special note of the colours of the banner, strapped in red, white and black, an attention to detail that didn’t go unnoticed. “And if you notice as well, the colours are actually red, white and black, which is the colours of the Legacy and also the colours of St Kilda Football Club,” Jackson said. “So shout out to you guys, it looks awesome and dad would be so happy.”
The Shane Warne Stand has travelled to Galle 👌#SLvAUS pic.twitter.com/vTFgd007Ns
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 29, 2025
Warne was a massive fan of the Saints and even dabbled at a footy career before becoming one of the greatest spinners in the world.
Simone Callahan, Warne’s ex-wife, commented with four hearts on another post lifestyle creator Tina Brown, which spoke of Warne’s enduring affection for the scenic spot ravaged the tsunami tragedy.
Brown’s video, Fox reported, featured a Sri Lankan tour guide standing across from the stadium and her caption read: “26th Dec 2004 Sri Lanka had a devastating Tsunami. Today is the 20 year anniversary of this terrible day. We recently visited the Tsunami museum and did a tour of Galle. Everyone here is just so thankful to Shane Warne for all his support during this terrible time. We heard countless times ‘where are you from – Australia – oh we love Shane Warne’. His help has not been forgotten and he will always be in the people of Sri Lanka’s hearts.”
Warne passed away in March 2022, while in Thailand, but has carved a spot in Sri Lankan hearts due to his relief work, after the tsunami of 2004.Story continues below this ad
Warne who started out as someone carrying baked beans cans to the subcontinent, grew to love the island nation. Fox reports he helped raise $1 million to help rebuild the stadium in Galle following the devastating Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, alongwith fellow spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan. Warneis said to have “visited the region and helped brighten the spirits of the people in the cricket-mad country” as per Fox.
“I just wanted to help and I said to Murali, what can I actually do?” Warne was quoted Fox as saying in an interview with Channel 9’s 60 Minutes at the time. Muralitharan apparently told him, that his just being there would actually help “because people love you in this country, they love what you do and how you do it.”
“They love watching you bowl and they think you’re OK.”
The OK-love blossomed as he went on to set serious records for most wickets in a Trst match at Galle. Warne holds the record for the most Test wickets an Australian in Sri Lanka with 37, though Nathan Lyon, the country’s most prolific contemporary bowler since Warne, is likely to go past that in the two-match series, needing one more to match the greatest and most loved.
