Shane Warne farewelled in private Melbourne service

Warne tragically died from a heart attack at the age of 52 earlier this month and many former teammates have already passed on their condolences to the champion leg-spinner.

While Warne will be given a full public service at his beloved MCG later this month, approximately 80 of his nearest and dearest friends and family were in Melbourne on Sunday to pay their respect.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was in attendance, while Australian stars Glenn McGrath, Merv Hughes, Ian Healy and Mark Waugh were among a group of his former teammates also at the private event.

A group of former Australia Test captains also attended with Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Michael Clarke among a group of Warne’s closest friends that paid their respect to the Victorian.

Warne's public service on March 30 is expected to attract at large crowd at the MCG, a venue which Warne made his own over his 15-year international career.

Warne famously claimed his 700th Test wicket at the ground on Boxing Day in 2006 when he dismissed England captain Andrew Strauss and finished his career with 56 Test wickets at the iconic venue.