Spin legend Shane Warne has branded Cricket Australia (CA) “muppets” and called its policy of rotating players “absolute rubbish” following Australia’s T20 series defeat by Sri Lanka.
The outspoken Warne vented his anger on Twitter in his latest run-in with the CA, which has attracted stinging criticism from other greats of the game for rotating players in a bid to reduce injuries.
The spin-bowling maestro appeared to single out former Wallabies rugby star Pat Howard, CA’s high-performance manager, who oversees the controversial rotation policy.
Warne, 43, a friend of Test and one-day international (ODI) captain Michael Clarke, complained late on Monday that sports fans were being deprived of seeing the world’s leading batsman in action.
“I think CA really need to look at the people who are making decisions on all facets of cricket in Australia, we r seriously becoming a joke!” Warne tweeted. “Absolute rubbish re selections, rotations, resting & farcical decisions on matches, joke. Dudding [cheating] the public & to[o] many excuses. Wake up CA,” he added. “Can CA please put current cricket people in charge to run the game, select teams, not ex rugby or any other sports people plse, seriously. We have the best batsman/captain in the world in @MClarke23 [Michael Clarke] — He needs current cricket people to help him out, not muppets.”
Retired players have queued up to attack the repeated rotation of players. Former skipper Ian Chappell charged CA with creating “more confusion than an algebra test.”
Sri Lanka won the first T20 match by five wickets in Sydney on Saturday and won again at the Melbourne Cricket Ground late on Monday.
Australia drew the ODI series with Sri Lanka 2-2, resting Clarke for the first two games, after sweeping the Tests 3-0.
Warne was last week fined A$5,000 (US$5,229) for a code of behavior breach in the domestic Big Bash League.
He apologized earlier this month after a foul-mouthed rant against West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels that earned him a ban and a fine of A$4,500.
Warne claimed 708 Test wickets in a celebrated career that also courted controversy, including a fine for taking money from a bookmaker. He was sent home from the 2003 World Cup for taking a banned diuretic.
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