Melbourne Cricket Club president Paul Sheahan has raised eyebrows with bizarre remarks about refugees at Christmas Island.
Speaking at the official unveiling of Shane Warne's bronze statue at the MCG this morning, Sheahan dropped a puzzling reference to the refugee issues at Christmas island and the arrival of Warne's fiancé Liz Hurley.
"Sorry Elizabeth, I know your are English but you are now an honourary Australian and incidentally I am very pleased you didn't have to come via Christmas Island," he said.
The bizarre remarks prompted nervous laughter from officials at the function - and an awkward smile from Hurley sitting in the front row with her son, and Warne's three children.
Warne's former Test captain, Mark Taylor and more than 100 members of the public where also there for the anticipated unveiling.
The new statue will give crowds a glimpse of the much-loved cricketer in his heyday.
Artist and sculptor Louis Lauman admitted it was hard to put the new, slim, Big Bash version of Warnie out of his mind.
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He spent hours studying images of Warne in his classic bowling pose before casting the cricket legend in bronze.
The result, he hopes, would impress Warne, who saw the artwork for the first time today.
And it did - the Spin King said the addition of the statue outside gate two was humbling.
"Every time we come to the MCG to watch a football match or a cricket match or a concert ... I'll walk past and say hello," Warne said.
"It really is an important thing when you get home, no matter what sort of a day you've had, the kids just want to have Dad home and have some fun," Warne said.
"It really is an important thing when you get home, no matter what sort of a day you've had, the kids just want to have Dad home and have some fun," Warne said.
"It's been fantastic that my fiancé Elizabeth and the children, Brooke, Damien, Summer and Jackson have been able to come around and watch the cricket. They were obviously a lot younger five years ago when I retired."
He said Hurley's support since the pair's star-studded match up had buoyed him further.
"It's been fantastic that my fiancé Elizabeth and the children, Brooke, Damien, Summer and Jackson have been able to come around and watch the cricket. They were obviously a lot younger five years ago when I retired."
He said Hurley's support since the pair's star-studded match up had buoyed him further.
Warne took the opportunity to credit his glamorous fiancé and his kids for bringing renewed significance to his superstar life and for taking an interest in him.
"They have always made it easy for me.
"She is really enjoying the cricket and very supportive of me and is taking time out to understand the game and that makes me feel nice. It's a nice thing to do.
Laumen said the challenge in creating the bronze Warnie was due to Warne's new look.
"It was a challenge for me because Warnie is so fresh in everybody's memory and I guess everybody has their opinion of what it should look like," Laumen said.
"You couldn't do it the way he is now. He is a different figure and has done a lot of work to get as trim as possible, probably to the point of being underweight," he said.
"But I have tried to be as respectful as possible. It is a very striking pose."
t took six months for the sculptor to complete his creation, moulded carefully in his backyard studio after quite literally sizing Warne up earlier this year.
The sculpture is the first to be commissioned by the Melbourne Cricket Club as part of the Australia Post Avenue of Legends series, which will see a minimum of five statues placed in Yarra Park over the next five years.
It took six months for the sculptor to complete his creation, moulded carefully in his backyard studio after quite literally sizing Warne up earlier this year. The sculpture is the first to be commissioned by the Melbourne Cricket Club as part of the Australia Post Avenue of Legends series, which will see a minimum of five statues placed in Yarra Park over the next five years.
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