Australian spin legend Shane Warne isn't done with former Aussie World Cup winning captain Steve Waugh yet. Even after as many as 17 years, the rivalry between the two is alive as ever. And the worst part is nobody knows when the two cricket legends will finally hug and make up.
Warne, who was last seen on the cricket pitch during the 'Cricket All Stars: Sachin's Blasters vs Warne's Warriors' last year, is currently participating in the Season 2 of Australian Reality TV Series 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here.'
Such is the format of the show that the 46-year-old veteran leg spinner, along with the other 12 contestants on the show, is often seen belting out stories from his personal life.
In one such conversation, Warne recollected his memories with the Australian cricket team during a heart-to-heart conversation with Egyptian Australian comedian Akmal Saleh, who is another participant on the show.
The first thing the spin legend brought up was his relationship with Steve Waugh, and how an incident in 1999 completely changed his perception about Waugh. The spin legend mentioned that Waugh, one of the most successful captains in the Australian cricket history, was "the most selfish cricketer" he played alongside.
"There's a lot of reasons I don't like Steve Waugh ... [one of them] because he's the most selfish cricketer I've played with," Warne said in the episode which will air on Channel Ten in Australia on Tuesday night.
Continuing his shocking verbal attack, Warne added that Waugh unceremoniously dropped him from the team during Australia's fourth and final Frank Worrell Trophy Test match against West Indies in 1999, and that came as a complete shock for the spin bowler.
The four-match series ultimately resulted in a draw, with Australia and West Indies winning two matches each.
"One thing that really annoyed me about him was the one Test I got dropped, in the West Indies [in 1999], we had to win the last Test match to [retain] the [Frank Worrell] Trophy. At that stage, captain [Waugh], vice-captain [me], coach [Geoff Marsh] used to pick the team," Warne continued.
"We went to selection. I hadn't bowled well [and] we had lost -- Brian Lara batted unreal -- but I felt like I was being the scapegoat, that because I didn't bowl well it was my fault."
"We got to the selection table and said 'What's everyone's thoughts?' Steve Waugh said [to me] 'You're not playing.' I went 'What? Hang on. What do you think the team should be? Blah blah blah', and Steve Waugh said 'Nup, I'm the captain of this side ... you're not playing,'" Warne, who was a part of the Aussie side under Steve Waugh's leadership that won the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999, explained.
Warne has never shied away from making controversial remarks in the past as well, and while he mentioned that his hatred for Steve Waugh is still alive for those cricketing reasons, some off-the-field incidents too have juiced Warne's hostility for Waugh over the years.
"I don't like Steve Waugh for a lot of other reasons, but that was the reason I thought [there was no way that relationship would recover]," Warne, who was fined $4500 for using obscene language during a Big Bash League match in 2013, added.