It’s no secret that cricket legend Shane Warne was a fanatical golfer.
He famously hit a hole-in-one on the 16th at the iconic Augusta National, the home of golf’s holy grail, The Masters.
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And while it will surprise nobody that he had all the gear to match his obsession, just how much he had shocked even his son Jackson.
Joining 7Cricket’s commentary during the second session of Australia’s Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, Jackson said he and his sisters, Brooke and Summer, were blown away when they discovered his collection of golf clubs.
“We’re going through, at the moment, some of his storage units — because he’s just got storage units full of stuff. He just collected and collected and collected,” Warne said on Tuesday.
“And some of the stuff we’re going through at the moment is golf clubs. And I am not kidding, he has probably got 300 drivers, 400 putters, 50 million golf bags — there is just an abundance of stuff.”
The 24-year-old appeared on Seven’s Day 1 coverage as a key driver behind the Shane Warne Legacy initiative for which tens of thousands of Aussies have had their hearts tested on one of 23 machines — a number chosen specifically to pay homage to Warne, who wore 23 in white-ball cricket — stationed around and outside the MCG.
Shane Warne died of a sudden heart attack while on holiday in Thailand last year.
With the goal of preventing that same fate for more Australians, Shane Warne Legacy has invited cricket fans and the wider public to take the easy four-minute test, which assesses the heart’s health.
“We have exactly 23 machines set up all around the ground,” Jackson said.
“Even if you haven’t got a ticket to the game, you can actually get one of these tests outside of the ground. So, even if you’re only watching this at home, you can still get your test outside of the MCG.
“Dad would be so honoured and so happy that now his legacy is saving lives.”
Seven’s Ricky Ponting, who captained Warne for the final few years of his decorated international career, had a heart scare of his own last year, when he had to swiftly leave the commentary box during the Perth Test against West Indies to be whisked away to hospital.
“My little mate Justin Langer and I will be making our way around to do our own test. It was just over 12 months ago I had to exit the commentary box over in Perth,” Ponting said.
Jackson said this test was quick and easy, and not at all intrusive.
“Lots of people when they think they need to get their hearts tested, they think it might involve taking your clothes off or taking a bit of blood. But this is a non-invasive test,” he said.
“It’s done in under four minutes, you just grip these handle bars and put the compression sleeve around your arm. You get all these stats and it pretty much shows you what you need to change or what you need to add into your lifestyle.
Since Warne’s death, the stand formerly known as The Great Southern Stand has been renamed in the king of spin’s honour.
“Guys know how much dad liked big and shiny things,” Jackson said on Seven’s commentary.
“To know he has the biggest stand at the MCG, and the southern hemisphere, I think he would be laughing.”
