"Now up to me to let the world know what he was like" - Ricky Ponting on Shane Warne
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said that spin legend Shane Warne was "a teacher through his commentary" and added that after his untimely demise, it was now up to him to let the world know more about him as a person whenever the opportunity arose.
Speaking on the 'ICC Review', Ponting said:
"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. 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," he added.
Shane Warne died on Friday at the age of 52 of a suspected heart attack in Thailand.
Ponting recalled how he had learnt of the shocking news.
"I woke up nice and early I was getting the kids ready to go to netball and Rianna (his wife) looked at her phone and told me the news about Warney. I grabbed the phone out of her hand to look at it and I couldn't believe it and it is still the same now," he said.
Ricky Ponting breaks down while remembering his teammate Shane Warne 😓
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Ponting was left rather emotional by the loss of his long-time friend.
"It was so raw to me I couldn't really speak and every time I thought about him and our experiences and our journey together and I just got short for words," he said.
"I would just tell Shane Warne how much I loved him" - Ricky Ponting
Ponting said that given the opportunity, he would tell Warne just how much he loved him.
"I would say just how much I love him. I didn't say that to him and I wish I did," he said.
He recalled Warne's busy social life and how he always made time for those he loved.
"If you spent a day with him, it would be amazing to see some of the names flashing up on his mobile phone. It was very rare for Warney just to be sitting at home. He would always try and find time for his friends and his family and that was one of his great strengths," Ponting said.
"The more people talk 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," Ponting said.
Tributes have poured in from all corners of the world since Warne's shocking death last Friday.