Andrew Alderson: Flowers, beer and pies - The fitting memorial to Shane Warne

It seems a fitting memorial to Australian cricket legend Shane Warne.Following his death in Thailand on Friday, fans have gathered at Warne's statue outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground placing not just flowers but also beer, cigarettes, pies and cans of baked beans.Warne's reported love of baked beans was came about in the 1998 tour of India when he said he was only eating the canned goods because he wasn't used to the local spicy cuisine. A reported 1,900 tins of baked beans were then shipped out to Warne and the side.The Victorian state government, which has offered Warne's family a state funeral, announced Saturday that the Great Southern Stand at the MCG would be renamed the S.K. Warne Stand - "a permanent tribute to an amazing Victorian."Ordinary, everyday Aussies shed tears. Mick Jagger, Elton John, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe were among the celebrities mourning Warne's death — not as if his incredible career achievements needed any exclamation points from the entertainment industry. But they were there in abundance.Former England captain Michael Vaughan said it best for many of his fellow cricketers past and present."Shane was the greatest-ever cricketer but more than that his character lit up every dressing room ... bar, golf club & friendship group ... his energy & positivity was beyond anyone I have ever known .. he was loyal beyond loyal," Vaughan said on Instagram."Everyone wanted to be around him but ultimately he was just a normal guy who could do incredible things."The Australian test team was told of Warne's death following play on the first day of the series-opening test match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. On Saturday, there was a moment of silence before play began on the second day."We all grew up watching Warnie, idolizing him," Australia captain Pat Cummins said. "What we loved so much about Warnie was his showmanship, his charisma, his tactics, the way he willed himself and the team around him to win games for Australia."The Australian and England women's teams also wore black armbands for their Cricket World Cup clash at Seddon Park on Saturday.'Come on, Shane'A Thailand paramedic has opened up on the efforts to revive cricket legend Shane Warne after he suffered a fatal heart attack last Friday.Warne passed away aged 52 in Koh Samui, Thailand on Friday night.Paramedic Anuch Han-iam told The Sun that Warne was unresponsive by the time help arrived at the two-storey villa at the Samujan resort at 5pm local time."Shane's friends were already trying to bring him back to life," he said."I took over doing CPR while we waited for an ambulance."They were desperate. I think one was crying. They were really stressed and panicked."They kept trying to wake him and I heard someone saying, 'Come on, Shane. Come on, Shane'."I could see they were all shocked and I just tried to concentrate and do my best.Han-iam told the Sun the villa looked very clean."There were about four or five other people in the room. All men, there were no women."The villa was clean and I didn't see any beer or cigarettes inside."There was nothing unusual that made me think they'd been partying. I didn't know when I arrived that it was Shane Warne. But I know who he is, he's a star."I did my best for him and gave all my energy. I'm so sorry that I couldn't help him."Extreme dietSpeaking with Australian TV show Nine's Today, Warne's long-time manager James Erskine said Warne had finished a fluid-only diet for two weeks."He did go on these ridiculous sort of diets … and was just finished one, where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days, and he'd done this three or four times."He was a bit all or nothing, it was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle, or he'd be basically having these black or green juices," Erskine said."I just think it...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.