Shane Warne calls Steve Waugh the ‘most selfish cricketer’ he’s ever played with

Shane Warne reignites bitter feud with former captain Steve Waugh – calling him the ‘most selfish cricketer’ he’s ever played with

  • New stat shows Steve Waugh involved in more runouts than any other player 
  • Waugh was caught up in 104 runouts with his partners dismissed 73 times
  • Shane Warne says this proves the batting great was the ‘most selfish cricketer’ 

Spin King Shane Warne has once again taken a swipe at his former cricket captain Steve Waugh, labelling him ‘the most selfish cricketer’ he ever played with.

The sledge was prompted by a new statistic that found the Australian batting legend has been involved in more runouts than any other player in the history of the game. 

Waugh was caught up in 104 runouts in 168 Tests and 325 One Day internationals.

Spin King Shane Warne (left) has once again taken a swipe at his former cricket captain Steve Waugh (right), labelling him ‘the most selfish cricketer I ever played with’

The former captain was caught up in 104 runouts in 168 Tests and 325 One Day internationals, more than any other player in history

The former captain was caught up in 104 runouts in 168 Tests and 325 One Day internationals, more than any other player in history

On 73 occasions it was his batting partner that was short of the crease, according to ESPN’s Cricinfo findings. 

Warne was quick to pounce after seeing the damning statistic.

‘For the record AGAIN & I’ve said this 1000 times – I do not hate S Waugh at all. FYI – I picked him in my all time best Australian team recently,’ the retired bowling great wrote on Twitter.

‘Steve was easily the most selfish cricketer that I ever played with and this stat…’

The long-running public feud between the pair dates all the way back to 1999, when Waugh told selectors to drop the leg spinner for a series-deciding match against the West Indies in Antigua.

Warne had just returned from shoulder surgery and only picked four wickets in four Tests.

Shane Warne (left) and Steve Waugh (right) are pictured holding up the World Cup trophy after victory over Pakistan at Lords

Shane Warne (left) and Steve Waugh (right) are pictured holding up the World Cup trophy after victory over Pakistan at Lords

‘Disappointed is not a strong enough word,’ Warne wrote in his 2018 autobiography No Spin.

‘When the crunch came Tugga didn’t support me, and I felt so totally let down by someone who I had supported big time and was also a good friend.

‘Steve will always say the result justifies the decision, but I don’t think it’s as simple as that. I lost a bit of respect for him after that.

‘I believe he should have backed me – as I always believe the art of captaincy is to support your players and back them every time. This gains the respect from the players and makes them play for you. He didn’t, it’s history, but I never found it easy with him after that.’

Rounding out the rest of the not-so-prestigious list was India’s Rahul Dravid with 101, Sachin Tendulkar with 98, Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene with 95 and Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq with 92.

The long-running public feud between the pair dates all the way back to 1999, when Waugh (right) told selectors to drop the leg spinner for a series-deciding match against the West Indies in Antigua

The long-running public feud between the pair dates all the way back to 1999, when Waugh (right) told selectors to drop the leg spinner for a series-deciding match against the West Indies in Antigua

'Disappointed is not a strong enough word,' Warne wrote in his 2018 autobiography No Spin. 'When the crunch came Tugga didn't support me, and I felt so totally let down. Pictured: The spin king is pictured with his children

‘Disappointed is not a strong enough word,’ Warne wrote in his 2018 autobiography No Spin. ‘When the crunch came Tugga didn’t support me, and I felt so totally let down. Pictured: The spin king is pictured with his children

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