‘Don’t think he’s ever forgiven him’: Former Australia captain on Shane Warne-Steve Waugh ‘feud’

This is not a secret that two Australia legends Shane Warne and Steve Waugh are not best of friends outside the cricket field. With cricket coming to a stop due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the long-standing feud between the two cricketers was reignited once again this past month when Warne called Waugh “the most selfish cricketer” in a tweet. The former Aussie captain Waugh fired back a few days later and said that “his comments are a reflection of himself”.

Also read: ‘Watch his innings, try and learn from him,’ Bangladesh allrounder looks up to MS Dhoni

Now, another Australia captain Mark Taylor has given his take on the feud between the two cricketers. Taylor was questioned on the same on Australia news channel Channel 9’s Sports Sunday show.  

— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) May 24, 2020

“They’re not best mates, there’s no doubt about that. But when they played together … they were fine,” Taylor said in response.

The former Aussie cricketer further recalled the 1999 series against West Indies in which Waugh decided to pick spinners Colin Miller and Stuart Macgill instead of Warne in the 4th and final Test, and said that it was the one major incident which “irked” the leg-spinner.

Also read: ‘I really respect him’: Shoaib Akhtar says he and Virat Kohli would have been ‘best of friends’

“Steve had to make a decision for the last Test against the West Indies in 1999 between his two leg spinners … Warnie was coming back from a shoulder injury and not bowling at his best. For the final Test match, Steve went with MacGill and left Warne out, and that certainly irked Shane Warne at the time, and I don’t think he’s ever forgiven him,” Taylor said.

Even though Australia went on to win the match, Taylor said that he thought the decision to drop Warne was a mistake. “At the time, no. I didn’t think it was (the correct decision),” he said. “If you had to make a decision between the two leggies, which I think Australia had to do at that stage because Lara was playing so well, I’d have gone for the guy who’s been great for so long, even though he wasn’t at his best.

“Must-win game, I would’ve gone with Shane Warne,” he signed off.