'Sir Shane Warne just sounds right': Petition to change constitution and knight legendary cricketer gathers momentum

The Victoria state government is planning to host a state memorial service for Warne on March 30 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

A petition to knight Shane Warne was launched three years ago but it has been gaining momentum since the legendary cricketer's death. Regarded among the finest players to have played the sport, Warne died at the age of 52 while on holiday on the Thai island of Koh Samui, sending shockwaves around the cricketing world.

Shane Warne (Twitter)

A crucial element in Australia's domination at the biggest stage, Warne is often credited for reinventing the art of spin bowling. Since making his debut in 1992, Warne played 145 Tests for Australia, picking up 708 wickets with his leg-spin. In his 194 ODI appearances, he snared 293 scalps.

Following Warne's sudden demise, calls have been growing for the constitution to be amended so that he can get the highest honour. A report in the dailymail.co.uk said that Warne was the only one of Wisden's five greatest cricketers of the 20th century not to be knighted. As per the constitution, a knighthood can only be awarded to the living.

"Mr Warne's credentials for this honour speak for themselves. 708 Test wickets. 1,319 first-class wickets. Hundreds of one day wickets," says the petition.

"Ashes trophies, World Cups, beating the mighty West Indies in the West Indies, the getting out on 99, the flipper, the champagne on the balcony, the bunnies, the baked beans, the lifestyle, the romances, the life, the man, the legend. And that's just his cricket. He's also a philanthropist, a journalist, easily the best commentator, an entertainer, a larrikin, and an all-around Australian hero."

Mr Malouf, who had launched the petition, told 2GB that he has received messages of support from every cricket-playing nation, including England, India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. “We think Sir Shane Warne just sounds right."

“It’s not just here in Australia, the feedback we’ve been getting comes from right around the world.”

Warne had poked fun at the fact he was the only person who was not a knight who had been named in Wisden's Five Cricketers Of The Century. Sir Donald Bradman, sir Garfield Sobers, sir Jack Hobbs, sir Vivian Richards were the other four cricketers included on the list.

'I'm not quite sure what the future holds but I do note that the other four men who were chosen in Wisden's Five Cricketers Of The Century are all Sirs,' Warne wrote in a column for The Daily Telegraph. 'Perhaps my knighthood has been lost in the post'.

Warne's body arrived to his native Melbourne last week on Thursday, six days after his death on March 4. His family have also released messages expressing their love and grief.

Warne "didn't just inspire a cricketing generation -- he defined it", said a statement by the Victoria government. The Victoria state government is planning to host a state memorial service for Warne on March 30 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Warne’s family issued a statement late Monday describing the night of his death on March 4 as the beginning of “a never-ending nightmare.”