'I was trying to protect Shane' - Steve Waugh opens up on his 21-year-old feud with Shane Warne

The animosity between Former Australian captain Steve Waugh and spin legend Shane Warne is no secret. There have been many instances in the past where the two have openly admitted their dislike for one another.

The major turning point of their relationship was Waugh dropping Warne during Australia’s tour of West Indies in 1999. This decision of Steve came as a shocker for many as Warne is the highest Test wicket-taker in the history of Australian cricket.

The tour was Steve Waugh’s first Test series as the captain of the team. Australia was trailing the series by 2-1 and needed to win the last match at St. John’s to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy. Warne was undergoing a tough phase as just recovered from a shoulder injury.

The spinner could take just 2 scalps at an average of 134.00 in the first three matches of the series. As a result, Waugh decided to replace Warne with the finger spinner Colin Miller in the final match.

Recently, after a span of 21 years, Steve Waugh finally revealed the reason behind his decision during the West Indies tour. Speaking in an interview with former England captain Michael Atherton on Sky Sports Cricket Youtube channel, Waugh revealed that he did what he felt was right for his country and team.

The former skipper told Michael, “It was my first tour as captain to West Indies. As a captain, you are expected to make difficult decisions. That’s why you are given the job. You are not there to please everyone. I always wanted to be loyal to be my players to a certain point, but at the end of the day, you gotta be loyal to the team and their performance.”

Warnie had just come back from shoulder surgery: Steve Waugh

The 55-year-old added that it was tough to drop Warne but it was in the benefit of the game as the leg-spinner had not completely recovered from his shoulder injury.

“Warnie had just come back from shoulder surgery. I think he was put back into the team too quickly. We had both Stuart MacGill and him in the previous Test, turning the ball the same way. Lara and all the left-handers were hitting with the spin, and I just thought it was the right decision. I didn’t consult too many players. At the end of the day, you are there to make the decision, it was a tough one, of course,” said Waugh.

“In a lot of ways, I was trying to protect Shane, because he wasn’t bowling well at the time. Obviously, he didn’t see it that way, but if we had gone on to lose on the next Test, it wouldn’t have been good for anyone,” he added.

Though Waugh’s decision proved to be a masterstroke as Australia levelled the series by 2-2, it resulted in a lifelong feud between him and Warne. The leg-spinner was disheartened with this decision and had many times referred to his former captain as a ‘selfish’ player.