Beneath Shane Warne's fittingly one-and-a-half times larger than life bronze statue, stunned fans in his native Melbourne made votive offerings of flowers, beer, cigarettes and a meat pie, remembering an imperfect hero whose outsized skill and personality transcended cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
When the "King of Spin" attended the unveiling of his likeness outside his beloved Melbourne Cricket Ground more than a decade ago, he quipped that the "wonderful" result made the "about four hours" the sculptor had spent measuring between his nose and ears worthwhile.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But joking aside, Warne said he relished the idea that the statue would be a future reference point -- a place for ordinary Australians to come together.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It's a pretty amazing walk down to the MCG for whatever it is you're doing," he said. "So to have a place here where people can meet and say 'I'll meet you at the Shane Warne statue' will be nice."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now, on one damp Saturday morning a decade later, fans arranged to meet "at the Shane Warne statue" to mark his untimely death aged 52 and join in their shared grief.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I'm not even a massive cricket person," said John Haddad "but I've met him before and he's not much different in age. It hits home."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For much of the last 30 years, Warne the man has been a reference point that brought Australians together.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
From his 1992 Test debut against India to his incisive commentary -- now as much a part of the Australian summer's soundscape as kids laughing on the beach or the click of bat on ball.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the time in between, he captured the imagination of countless backyard cricketers and set the sporting world on fire.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It was pretty devastating to lose a childhood hero," said Andy Smith, who came to the MCG to put down a bouquet and pay his respects.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Everyone was here as a kid, and watching the cricket shows, especially the lunch break shows, where he would come out and show his bowling technique. It was always amazing to watch."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"He was a hero for a lot of kids I think," said Smith, who particularly recalled witnessing Warne's landmark 700th wicket and his retirement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Most Australians of a certain age particularly remember where they were for Warne's "Ball of the Century" against England's Mike Gatting -- a delivery so special, so befuddling it has been the subject of a scientific paper.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I was in China at the time and watching TV and when they showed that clip," said Chris Morrow.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Here I was in the middle of Qingdao going 'whoop, whoop, whoop' it was the greatest moment."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With a friend he wanted to come to the MCG to pay his respects to cricket's rock star -- famed for his hard-charging life off-field as much as his prowess on it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n