Cricket Australia have revealed plans to further pay tribute to Shane Warne, with an annual award to be renamed in the legend's honour.
With fans and players uniting on Boxing Day for a tribute to Warne, the decision has now been made to rename the Men's Test Player of the Year award.
The event - formerly known as the Allan Border Medal night but now simply the Australian Cricket Awards to include the female stars - will be held on January 30th and it will be the first time since Warne's passing earlier in 2022.
In a career that spanned 145 Tests and over 700 wickets for the Aussies, Warne's name being linked to the award is only fitting.
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Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley believes it is a necessary change to pay tribute to one of the game's greats.
“As one of Australia’s all-time greats, it is fitting we acknowledge Shane’s extraordinary contribution to Test cricket by naming this award in his honour in perpetuity," he said.
“Shane was a proud advocate of Test cricket and you only have to look around at all the fans who came out to the MCG in their floppy hats and zinc on Boxing Day to realise what a profound impact he had on the game.
“The whole cricket community continues to mourn his loss and our thoughts, as always, are with Shane’s family and friends, particularly his children Brooke, Jackson and Summer.”
Warne won the award in 2006, but never won the top prize of the Allan Border Medal during his illustrious career.
Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) CEO Todd Greenberg said that Warne's impact on the game needed to be recognised in this manner.
“I’m proud that the ACA, along with Cricket Australia, is able to recognise the incredible impact Shane had on Test cricket with an award named in his honour," he said.
“While he was a once in a generation player, he was very much a man who understood the important contribution all players made to Australian cricket.
"He played an important role in the formative years of the ACA and never knocked back an opportunity to promote and grow the game…and once they came, nobody knew how to put on a show quite like Warney – particularly here at the MCG.
“Our thoughts remain with Shane’s family, particularly his children Brooke, Jackson and Summer, and his many, many great friends within cricket.”