Shane Warne may be the greatest spinner in history, but his misdeeds off the field have often taken precedence over his on-field activities — at least since his retirement from the game. On Sunday, Warne’s proclivity for becoming controversy’s favorite kid was highlighted once more when he was accused of punching a woman at a London nightclub. Here are a handful of the controversy-plagued former leg spinner’s controversies.
Dealings with a bookie: Warne wasn’t the only one who got sucked into this. He and Mark Waugh were accused of arranging agreements with an Indian bookie and giving data of the pitch and weather conditions during a tour of Sri Lanka in 1994.
Warne’s international career was put on hold before the 2003 ICC World Cup when he tested positive for a prohibited drug. He acknowledged to taking a ‘fluid’ medication to help him get in shape. The suspension was prolonged for a year, during which time he worked as a commentator.
Steve Waugh: Since Steve Waugh dropped Warne in the third Test of the West Indies tour in 1999, Warne has had a rocky relationship with his former captain. Warne recently stated in 2016 that Waugh is the “most selfish cricketer” he has ever played with. “There are a lot of reasons I dislike Steve Waugh, a lot of reasons,” he remarked, “because he is the most selfish player I’ve ever played with.”
“Dirty chat” with a British nurse: He was accused of nagging a British woman in 2000. Warne, according to the lady, was continually texting her. He was married with two children at the time, and he later admitted that he had engaged in some “dirty chat” with the woman. He lost the Australian vice-captaincy as a result of the entire event.
Warne smoked during a lucrative contract with Nicorette, a nicotine replacement therapy product, in which he was required to refrain from smoking for a set length of time. However, he was caught smoking in New Zealand during Australia’s 2008 tour to the country.
Laura Sayers and other sexcapades: Warne’s inability to control his emotions with the opposite sex has surfaced on several occasions. Apart from the “dirty talking” episode, Warne is said to have asked Laura Sayers, a British woman, to join him in a foursome that included England batsman Kevin Pietersen. He was married with two children at the time.
Multiple affairs and divorces: When it was revealed that Warne and his wife had divorced in 2007, his wife’s tolerance had run out. However, they reconciled until Warne allegedly texted his wife a provocative text message intended for another lady. That incident did not save their marriage. After that, he began dating British actress Liz Hurley. Hurley called off their engagement because he was having an affair with a porn star.
On the show I’m a Celebrity…, I’m a Celebrity…, I’m a Celebrity…, I’m a Celebrity…, I’m In the film Get Me Out of Here, Warne dismissed evolution and stated that humans descended from aliens. If humans did originate from monkeys, why didn’t all monkeys evolve? Warne presented a hackneyed, ill-researched rationale for his assertion, asking why didn’t all monkeys evolve.
Assaulting Valerie Fox: Warne was accused of assaulting porn star Valerie Fox at a bar in Mayfair, London, in September of 2017.
The images were apparently taken by a group of boys, and Warne got into a fight with them over it.
Ricky Ponting: In his autobiography, Ricky Ponting was critical of Michael Clarke, which Warne did not like. Ponting’s critique, according to Warne, derives from jealousy. He also brought up Ponting’s three Ashes defeats to demonstrate that he wasn’t a terrific captain for Australia.
