Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has broken down on live television over the death of his best mate Shane Warne.
Just days after the spin king was found dead of a heart attack at his Koh Samui villa in Thailand, Clarke said he doesn’t know if he could ever say goodbye to his former teammate.
When asked how he would confront the moment, Clarke went silent as he fought back tears.
“No more crying … my God,” he said on Today.
“It will be hard … I’m sure he will get the send off that he deserves but I don’t think I will ever say goodbye.”
Like most Australians, Clarke said he was in “absolute shock” when he was given the news early Saturday morning.
The pair had even made plans to catch up when Warne returned from his much-needed break.
Clarke said he had spoken to Warne about his health just moments before he stepped onto the flight.
“I remember when I got a phone call from Helen early in the morning on Saturday, I thought there mixjmtzywght have been a bit of confusion, like a journalist might have said Warnie’s name when they really meant Rod Marsh,” Clarke confessed.
“It took me some time to believe it was real.”
Clarke revealed that he had spoken to Warne about his health just before he stepped on the plane to go to Thailand.
“It’s still such a shock, obviously extremely raw,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to play cricket alongside my role model, my idol, my inspiration, and then to build a friendship and just go through the highs and lows of life.”
The former Australian captain said the statements issued by Warne’s family were “heart-wrenching”.
Clarke described his former teammate as a “great dad” who had an “honest and raw” relationship with his children.
“Warnie made sure, without fail, to contact his kids and even though he might not have been under the same roof, he was always there for them, he just spent so much time with them,” Clarke said.
“He never expected or wanted them to do anything particular, it was more just enjoy life.
“He enjoyed the journey.”
Thai authorities on Monday confirmed Warne died of natural causes.
“Investigators received the autopsy result, in which the medical opinion is that the cause of death is natural,” deputy national police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen said, according to Channel News Asia.
“Investigators will summarise the autopsy result for prosecutors within the time frame of the law.”
Warne died of a suspected heart attack at a luxury resort villa where he was staying with three friends on Friday night.
Those that were with him attempted to conduct CPR after finding him unresponsive and called an ambulance.
As Australians, and the global cricket community reeled from the shock news of Warne’s death, he was moved on Sunday from Koh Samui hospital to a larger hospital capable of carrying out an autopsy.
After reaching the mainland, the ambulance travelled to a hospital in the town of Surat Thani, where doctors conducted the procedure to determine the exact cause of death.
His body is set to be sent back to Australia on Tuesday.
