Shane Warne appeals successfully for the wicket of Shane Warne during a Test match.© AFP
Former England batter Andrew Strauss may not have too many fond memories of his duels with Australian cricket great Shane Warne on the cricket pitch. Warne, who recently died of a suspected heart attack in Thailand, had some memorable duels with Strauss during the 2005 Ashes series when England ended their dry spell in the series with a 2-1 victory over the course of the five matches. In the thrilling second Test held at Edgbaston, Warne picked 10 wickets but couldn’t help prevent Australia from losing by two runs.
In England’s second innings, Warne castled Strauss with a stunning delivery that spun deceptively from well outside off into the middle and leg stumps.
Later in that match, with Warne batting and Australia looking to chase 282, spinner Ashley Giles was given the ball. Fielding at silly point, Strauss tried to sledge Warne.
“Fielding at silly point, I thought I have got to say something to him. I said, ‘Come on Gilo (Giles), he is really struggling against you here,'” Strauss recalled saying, in a video shared by a Twitter user on Saturday.
“He (Warne) turned to me and said, ‘Mate, if there’s anyone struggling around here, it’s you,'” added Strauss.
“Pretty humiliating, to be honest with you; you hope your teammates back you up and everyone was not engaging in that conversation at all,” Strauss elaborated.
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It didn’t end there, Strauss revealed.
“There was another bit to this, which I have never told. He then turned around to me again and said, ‘Listen mate, you say another word to me and I will hit the next ball for a six.’ I went, ‘Alright then. Come on Gilo, he is really struggling against you here.’ Bang! Over square leg for six. ‘You’re gonna say it again mate?’ (Warned asked),” recalled Strauss.
Andrew Strauss was an infamous Shane Warne victim on a number of occasions. This story is great pic.twitter.com/QhGPCzWVML
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) March 4, 2022
Warne was 52 when he died in Thailand in the early hours of Saturday (Australian time).
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