Warne's MCG memorial ticket details confirmed

More than 42,000 fans snapped up free tickets to Shane Warne's state funeral at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the opening hours after they became available on Tuesday.

Warne's MCG memorial service will be held next Wednesday, March 30, with the service starting at 7pm.

Tickets are now available via Ticketek. They will be free of charge.

Click here for tickets to Shane Warne's MCG Memorial 

The memorial service, at the venue where some of Warne's most memorable cricketing feats occurred, will the wider public's chance to say goodbye to the cricket legend following his sudden death from a suspected heart attack at the Thai resort island of Koh Samui on March 4.

The 52-year-old's family and close friends held a private funeral on Sunday, attended by cricketers Allan Border, Glenn McGrath, Mark Waugh, Michael Clarke, Merv Hughes and others.

About 80 guests, including Warne's three children and parents, attended the service at the St Kilda Football Club in Melbourne's south-east.

Warne's MCG memorial will be live-streamed free, and is expected to last about two hours, with further details to be confirmed.

The ground's Great Southern Stand will also be renamed in Warne's honour.

The MCG was the stage of the leg spinner's famous Ashes hat-trick in 1994 and 700th Test wicket on Boxing Day in 2006, his final series before he retired from international cricket.

His statue, which was unveiled in 2011, has become a focal point for grieving fans, with floral tributes, beer cans, meat pies, tins of baked beans and pizza slices among the items left in tribute to the legendary leg-spinner.

Warne was Australia's leading Test wicket-taker with 708 from a 15-year international career spanning 1992 to 2007, and second-most potent bowler in the game's history behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran (800 wickets).

He played 145 Tests – only Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting (both 168) and Allan Border (156) – donned the Baggy Green Cap more often, and Warne also represented his country in 194 one-day internationals.

He was named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the 20th Century, alongside fellow Australian Sir Donald Bradman, West Indians Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Vivian Richards, and England's Sir Jack Hobbs.

But beyond his immediate on-field impact, Warne revolutionised cricket through his revival of the seemingly forgotten art of leg-spin bowling which saw him become one of world sport's most recognisable figures.

The man who would concede his life often resembled a 'soap opera' became a magnet for headlines and scandal but was also a cricketer with such a rare gift his on-field deeds were compelling viewing for Australia fans and supporters of rival teams alike.

After his retirement from international cricket at the completion of Australia's 2006-07 Ashes whitewash over England, Warne continued to play in T20 competitions around the world and coached Rajasthan Royals to a title in the Indian Premier League.

He played his final competitive match for Melbourne Stars in the KFC BBL in 2013, and soon became an in-demand television commentator in Australia, the UK and on the subcontinent.

In addition to pursuing post-cricket life as a professional poker player, Warne also lent his name to a charitable causes and commercial interests including gin production and clothing, plus he recently promoted a feature-length documentary on his life entitled 'Shane'.

Shane Warne coverage

Cricket legend Shane Warne dead at 52

Unplayable Podcast: Legends recall favourite Warne tales

Sports world in shock at Warne's death

Lightning in a bottle: An ode to Shane Warne

Remembering the King: Best of Shane Warne

Watch: Shane Warne's 50 best wickets on home soil

Watch: Warne farewells the MCG with a five-fa

Watch: Cummins pays tribute to 'The King', Shane Warne

Watch: Shane Warne's top 10 moments

Watch: Warne's four turns Adelaide on its head

Watch: Through the gate! The best of Warne's flipper

Watch: Warne's 8-71 at the Gabba

Watch: Young Warne has Pakistan in a spin

Watch: Warne's World: The ball that changed my life