Craig McDermott sets record straight over infamous confrontation with Allan Border during 1993 Ashes tour

Craig McDermott says his infamous clash with Allan Border during a county game on the 1993 Ashes campaign was not indicative of his relationship with the former Aussie skipper.

• ‘Learned my lesson’: Warner won’t rise to abuse
• Why Stoinis missed out as Maxie replacement

Craig McDermott has claimed he was at war with himself rather than his captain on the day of his famous Ashes showdown with Allan Border.

McDermott, this week inducted into Australian cricket’s Hall of Fame, has revealed the inside story of the clash which created headlines around the cricket world.

Angry at the way he was bowling during a county game against Somerset on the 1993 Ashes tour, McDermott was heading back to his fielding position in the outfield at the end of an over when he refused to turn around and listen to some words from Border who was calling from 30 metres away.

Watch every T20 World Cup match LIVE on Fox Cricket. Either subscribe to Foxtel for all your cricket action or stream all the games live on Kayo Sports!

Craig McDermiott was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Monday night.

Eventually Border lost patience and famously declared “Do that again and you will be on the next plane home, son” with his spray picked up by a Channel 7 cameraman.

McDermott then said uttered words the camera could not pick up before Border responded with “What was that? You f***ing test me and you’ll see.”

“That little kerfuffle at Somerset was more about me being s****y because I was bowling a heap of crap and I wanted to have the next game off,’’ McDermott said.

“Back in those days we played back to back county games between Tests and if you did not bowl well in the first game – which I wasn’t – you ended up playing two county games in a row, which I was trying to avoid, so I had the s***s.

“AB and I were not at each others throats or anything. I was just pissed off and did not want to talk on the way to fine leg because I was bowling some wides and no-balls’’.

McDermott said the clash was not indicative of his relationship with Border.

“We had one or two moments but if you talk to Dennis Lillee and Thommo they had plenty of arguments with Greg and particularly Ian Chappell. You don’t have to say yes to everything, do you? I have never been a yes-man and never will be.

“You always got to challenge yourself and if you don’t agree with something you should say so’’.

Craig McDermott cherished the union he had with Merv Hughes.

McDermott’s 291-wicket Test career proved a key link in the era between Dennis Lillee and Glenn McGrath and his union with Merv Hughes will always be cherished by the man himself.

“Merv and I played 26 Tests together and had more wickets than Lillee and Thommo but I think that has been surpassed since,” he said.

“We were different bowlers. He was a hit-the-wicket bowler. I liked to pitch it up to give it a chance to swing. He was a great bowler to have around any time’’.

Originally published as Craig McDermott sets record straight over infamous confrontation with Allan Border during 1993 Ashes tour