“When the bill came in, it was 5 figures” - Adam Gilchrist reveals Shane Warne’s generous act for England players

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist shed light on Shane Warne’s generous nature in an emotional tribute to the legend.

Gilchrist revealed that the spin wizard once arranged helicopters for English players to visit an exclusive golf club outside Melbourne. The bill for the same was in five figures, but the Aussie great paid for the same without complaining.

Warne died at 52 in Thailand on Friday of a suspected heart attack, leaving the entire cricketing fraternity in a state of disbelief.

In a column for The Daily Telegraph, Gilchrist, who played international cricket alongside Warne for the majority of his career, touched upon the leg-spinner’s benevolent nature. He wrote:

“A number of the English players flew via helicopter to an exclusive golf club outside Melbourne after Warnie arranged the flights and rounds of golf for them. I know they gave Warnie a gift for doing so but when the bill came in, it was five figures.”

Gilchrist added:

“When the bill arrived Warnie’s reaction was “oh, okay then.’’ At no point did he say “are they going to pay me?’’ He just quietly fixed up the bill and moved on. There was no complaining or whinging from Warnie. That was typical of the man and his generosity of spirit.”

The former cricketer narrated another incident when Warne used his own points to upgrade Gilchrist to first class when they were flying home from Old Trafford in 1997. The 50-year-old recalled:

“His generosity, underestimated by those who didn’t know him, was a strong suit of Warnie’s. I remember flying home with a knee injury after the third Test at Old Trafford in 1997 and Warnie was on the same flight because his daughter Brooke was born. We flew home together and he used his points to upgrade me to first class. Sitting next to a legend who had just become a father was an experience I will always cherish.”

Tributes to Warne haven’t stopped flowing ever since news of his sudden demise shocked fans and the cricketing world. Not only in Australia but present and former cricketers all over the globe are mourning the death of the spin legend.

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“Warne's brilliant mind games felt like a Spielberg production” - Adam Gilchrist

Shane Warne (left) and Adam Gilchrist (right), both wearing Gilchrist's shirt during a practice game. Pic: Getty Images

While Gilchrist and Warne enjoyed amazing camaraderie in the commentary box post their playing days, the former said that he will always cherish memories of keeping to the legendary leggie. Gilchrist wrote:

“There were times when Warnie’s brilliant mind games felt like a Spielberg production when I kept to him. You could feel Warnie’s intimidation from the top of his mark. He’d wait and pause – and pause again – particularly to a new batter who would occasionally pull out of his stance which would only make Warnie start walking in.”

According to Gilchrist, Warne may have lived life king size but when it came to cricket, he worked as hard as anyone else. He stated:

“Toughness of mind and body was one of Warnie’s most underrated strengths. He may have lived the Hollywood lifestyle and been an A-lister of the highest order but, in a cricketing sense, he got down and dirty and worked really, really hard and had shoulder and finger surgeries and just put them aside.”

Concluding his tribute for “Warnie”, Gilchrist wrote:

“To sit behind the stumps and see the theatre unfold from a showman of the highest order was an experience I will cherish for life.”

In a 15-year career, Warne claimed 708 Test wickets from 145 matches and 293 scalps in 194 ODIs.