Shane Warne has revealed the phone call he received from Steve Smith after criticising the latter’s appointment as vice-captain ahead of Australia’s Ashes campaign.
Warne was a vocal critic of Smith’s appointment and pointed to the double-standard of Smith being allowed to return to a leadership role within the team while David Warner remains banned, despite both being involved in the infamous ball-tampering scandal.
Speaking on Day 1 of the first Ashes Test, Warne revealed how Smith contacted him and asked why he had said what he’d said.
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“He messaged me and said, ‘jeez, you’re a bit harsh on me aren’t you?’ and we talked it out. That’s what respect does,” he said on Fox Cricket’s coverage.
“Just because someone doesn’t like your opinion doesn’t mean you have to get nasty and personal about it. Everyone’s allowed to have their opinion. Just because you don’t agree with it.”
Despite his criticism of Smith’s appointment as Pat Cummins‘ deputy in the Test arena, Warne said the pair remain friends.
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“We’ve worked together at the Rajasthan Royals, I used to work with him when he was bowling, was he a leg-spinner a long-time ago? So we’ve got a respect for each other and it was nice of him to actually ring me and say, ‘mate, why did you think that?’,” he said.
“I told him my point of view and he said, ‘I understand it and I’m sure a lot of people have that point of view too’.
“But it doesn’t mean we don’t like each other, so we respect each other and I like Steve Smith, how could you not? He’s a great guy, he’s one of the best Test batsmen in the world, if not the best in the Test arena, so I think that’s how it should be.
“Someone shouldn’t be personally attacked for having an opinion and just because you don’t agree with it, whatever there is, there’s got to be respect.”