Shane Warne to receive a state funeral

The family of former Australian cricketer Shane Warne has accepted the Victorian government’s offer of a state funeral, with details of the service to be released in the coming days.

Warne, 52, was holidaying with friends in Thailand when he was found unresponsive in his villa on Friday and could not be revived.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Twitter that he had spoken with Warne’s family on Sunday and that they agreed to the service.

Mr Andrews said the state funeral would be an opportunity for Victorians to pay tribute to Warne’s contribution to cricket, the state and the country.

He said details would be finalised in the coming days.

The state funeral was offered to the family on Saturday, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying the service for “one of our greatest cricketers of all time” would be organised by the federal and Victorian governments, Cricket Australia and Warne’s family.

Children ‘in a complete shock’

Warne’s family is said to have been “shattered” by the cricketing great’s sudden death, according to his long-time manager James Erskine.

Erskine told the Nine Network that Warne’s three children Jackson, Summer and Brooke were “in a complete shock” at the sudden passing of their father.

“I spoke to them yesterday and … Jackson just said, ‘We expect him to walk in the door. This is like a bad dream’,” Erskine said.

“Keith, Shane’s father, is a pretty strong individual, but like everybody, he’s just shattered, they can’t believe what’s happened.”

On Sunday, Warne’s body was transported to mainland Thailand for an autopsy to confirm the exact cause of his death.

– ABC