'I would just say how much I love him', Ricky Ponting's emotional tribute to Shane Warne
- Planet Sport writer
- 7 March 2022
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was good friends with former teammate Shane Warne, and the 47-year-old has vowed to pass his knowledge on to young and upcoming cricket stars.
Warne sadly passed last Friday, aged just 52, after a suspected heart attack in his Thailand villa.
The former leg-spinner took 708 Test wickets, the second-highest ever, in 145 Tests, with many of those coming alongside former teammate Ricky Ponting.
Ponting, a former Australian captain, added to the tributes that poured in for Warne over the weekend, with the 47-year-old describing him as the "greatest bowler" he ever played with or against.
He added that he intends to pass the knowledge given to him by Warne onto young cricket stars, in order to "let the world know what he was like".
"He was a teacher through his commentary and I've seen hundreds of photos over the last 24 hours of all the spinners he worked with," said Ponting.
"He helped Steve Smith in his younger days and Rashid Khan has been catching up with him - just imagine the conversations they would have had.
"So I feel it is now up to me whenever I get an opportunity to just let the world know what he was like and pass on some of the things I learnt from him."
Ponting also revealed that Warne was the player to have given him the nickname 'Punter', with the pair first meeting aged 15 at the Australian Cricket Academy.
Hard to put this into words. I first met him when I was 15 at the Academy. He gave me my nickname.
— Ricky Ponting AO (@RickyPonting) March 5, 2022
We were teammates for more than a decade, riding all the highs and lows together.
Through it all he was someone you could always count on, someone who loved his family... pic.twitter.com/KIvo7s9Ogp
They went on to share a majority of their international careers together, and Ponting even captained Warne towards the twilight of his career.
But the duo remained friends even past cricket, and both lived in the same Melbourne bayside suburb. They also frequently caught up on the local golf course.
In an recent interview, Ponting was asked what he would say to Warne if he had the chance for one final conversation, he replied: "I would say just how much I love him.
"I didn't say that to him and I wish I did.
"The more people talking about Shane, the thing that will shine through will be just how loyal he was to family and friends and how loved he was.
"He had the energy that drew you to him and that is a trait that not a lot of people have."
