Shane Warne opens up about Australian cricket, the ball tampering scandal and his competitive edge

WARNIE says the ball tampering scandal was embarrassing, but then reignited debate with a controversial statement.

Shane Warne sits with Leigh Sales at the MCG for ABC's 7.30.

SHANE Warne has continued to slam the state of Australian cricket in an interview with the ABC’s Leigh Sales.

One of the biggest moments in Australian cricket history was the ball tampering scandal in South Africa in March.

It was the suspensions of captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner for a year, and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft for nine months.

Warne said it was embarrassing, un-Australian and the trio would have to earn back the respect of the sporting public.

However, he added the punishment was too harsh.

“Steve Smith is a good person. He made a silly mistake. He made an error in judgment. I think in this country we’re too quick to hang people and just nail them,” Warne said.

“We cry out for characters and things then we cut people off so quickly as well. Steve Smith to me is a good guy. He’s a wonderful captain, a great player — he just made a silly mistake.

“I don’t think the punishment fit the crime. 12-month ban for that. It equate to a $10 million fine. I thought they were very hard done by.

“But having said that, we hated it and we didn’t like it and they have to earn our respect back.”

Warne has been a vocal critic especially during the Australian tour of the UAE against Pakistan, including calling “Australia’s batting at the moment is the worst I have seen it” and naming an alternate Test side with a host of changes.

Warne doubled down during the interview on 7.30, saying Australian cricket is “struggling”.

“Pretty ordinary at the moment with Australian cricket,” Warne said.

“I think in any business you need the foundation to be strong and foundation of Australian cricket has always been grassroots cricket, club cricket and first class cricket, Sheffield Shield cricket. To me I think Cricket Australia are devaluing shield cricket.

“I don’t think there’s enough first-class cricketers getting into school cricket and inspiring people and talking to young boys and girls to say cricket a great game, and teaching them techniques.

“So I’d like to see first-class cricketers getting down to schools, to see them playing club cricket. I’d like to see international players domestic Shield cricket and playing because they love it and they want to give something back. I know it’s hard.

“They have to do it for the longevity and successfulness of Test cricket in Australia and Australian cricket to remain strong.”

Warne has been savage about the current stage of Australian cricket.

Warne will go down as one of the greatest cricketers ever produced in Australia after a staggering 15-years with the national side.

One of only two men in Test cricket history to record over 700 wickets along with 1000+ international wickets, Warne officially hung up the bat and ball from the Aussie side in 2007.

After his retirement he joined the Twenty20 circuit before eventually making the move into the media where he’ll be a key cog for Fox Sports’ official cricket channel.

It was his competitive streak and the heat of battle which drove him to such heights.

“It made me dig in a lot more, made me more determined if someone was sledging me,” he said.

“I don’t think I ever got annoyed or it affected me when I played. I used to love it. I always thought I’d be better than them at it. Even if people were say things to me, it used to make me concentrate more.”

Shane Warne speaks on ABC's 7.30, telling of his favourite sledging story.

One of batsmen Warne most enjoyed bowling to, having dismissed him 12 times in 29 Tests, was South Africa’s Darryl Cullinan.

Warne said he had one of the best sledges against him.

“It was about four years since we played against him. He got dropped. Four years later he came back to play again. I was feeling the slips and I was saying, “don’t you dare get out, Darryl. I’ve been waiting four years for this opportunity to knock you over again”,” Warne said.

“I kept going and didn’t let him off. In the end, he said, “Looks like you spent that four years eating, too”. I said, “Not bad.” I looked like I swallowed a sheep, so that was not bad.”

WARNE AND SALES BIZARRE HISTORY

Prior to their one-on-one interview, Warne and Sales had somewhat of a bizarre history courtesy of a Warnie.

The cricket legend was chatting to Hughesy and Kate on Kiis FM when he admitted he had no idea who the host was.

“Leigh Sales from the ABC tweeted this a couple of days ago,” said Kate Langbroek.

“Who’s that sorry?” asked Warnie.

“Leigh Sales. She’s the host of the 7.30 report, a very well respected show right around the nation,” explained Dave Hughes.

Times have changed for Shane Warne.

But in a sign of the times to come, it had always been Sales’ dream of having the “Spin King” appear and it finally came to be.

“She tweeted this: ‘People often ask me who is the person I most want to interview for The 7:30 Report. The answer is Shane Warne. But it’s always a no’,” Langbroek said.

The moment was brushed aside by Sales and three-years later she finally had the interview she’d always wanted.

Just finished an interview with @ShaneWarne for @abc730 next week - I don't say this lightly but it's one of the best and most riveting interviews I've ever done. Unmissable. pic.twitter.com/WEM8Pg9nwx

— Leigh Sales (@leighsales) October 19, 2018

Warne has never been far away from controversy throughout his historic career, with no bigger moment than when he was handed a one-year ban from organised cricket in 2003.

Away from the game the spotlight followed him and led to plenty of unfavourable moments for one of the games biggest drawcards.

It was in 2006 that his name was shone into worldwide media attention when images emerged of the star’s involvement in a threesome.

Warne was — and still is — furious over the betrayal.

“I’ve always struggled to deal with these tabloid stories,” he wrote. “What sort of person hides a camera and then sells the pictures?

“I’m not a criminal … yes, I’m into women, which has cost me massively, time after time.

“To me, only a pretty sad mind goes undercover to make a few bucks out of a friend and a guy she’s never met before. Either that or Coralie was lying and she set the whole thing up. Then it’s even worse.”