Former Australian men’s cricket team captain Michael Clarke revealed that legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne nearly caused “World War 5” for picking his cigarettes over essentials such as socks and underwear during a training camp before the 2006 Ashes series against England.
Clarke was speaking on Sky Sports Radios’ Big Sports Breakfast show, recalling the time when players were supposed to take part in a three-day training camp in the Australian outback and were asked to take only basic essentials, which included two t-shirts, a pair of pants, joggers, socks and three pairs of underwear. However, Warne chose cigarettes over that and refused to take part in the camp if he was denied his smokes.
“For someone like Warnie who loved a smoke, he pretty much told them he is not coming unless he can bring his smokes. It was World War five,” Clarke said.
Warne was even given a choice by then coach John Buchanan, who told the spinner that for each pack of cigarettes he took, he would have to leave an item behind. But Warne chose to forego his underwear and socks among other things for six cigarette packs.
“Warnie flicked his three pairs of undies, flicked his three pairs of socks and put six packs of darts in and off we went. In the middle of the bush, sleeping bag only, no cover, no shelter, on the ground and it was pitch black. All you could see was this orange light coming out of someone’s sleeping bag and it was Warnie just sucking his dart back,” Clarke said.
Clarke also revealed that the relationship between Warne and Buchanan was difficult, and the former didn’t respect the coach during his seven-year tenure.
“The fact him and John didn’t get on and Warnie didn’t respect John Buchanan as a coach at all, that he thought ‘I’m not getting told what to do from this dude’.”
“I would imagine John Buchanan would have been standing there thinking, ‘Oh my god, if we tell Warnie not to come this is just going to end in an absolute disaster’,” Clarke said. “No matter what happened Warnie was going to play that (Ashes) Test match, John Buchanan could not have dropped him and the selectors wouldn't have not picked him so he (Warne) had a lot of power at the time.”
“... At that stage, Warnie was so done with John Buchanan, he didn’t care,” Clarke said.
Warne took 23 wickets in the 2006-2007 Ashes as Australia swept the series 5-0.
