'Warne is like a kid at school with no mates' - Shane Lee reveals what Steve Waugh told him during 1996 World Cup

There is no secret that the relationship between Shane Warne and Steve Waugh aren’t that good. The legendary spinner has never left an opportunity to express his dislike for the former Australian skipper. However, the senior Waugh has always tried to stay away from controversies and never spoken a great deal about this matter.

The rivalry between these two legends had started after Waugh decided to exclude Warnie from a crucial Test match during the tours of West Indies in 1999. The leg-spinner wasn’t in best of the forms and the captain had to take a hard call. The decision paid off eventually but it made the relation between Waugh and his then deputy Warne a little more than sour.

In a recent interaction, Shane Lee, the New South Wales all-rounder revealed what Waugh had told him about Warne back in 1996 World Cup. Lee, who is the brother of Brett Lee, had made his debut just a few months before the Summit tournament. He initially had got along really well with Warnie. This made Waugh come in the middle and give some advice to the all-rounder.

Steve Waugh pulled me aside and asked about Warne: Shane Lee

“He (Warne) took me in and said, ‘It’s gonna be the Shane Show, me and you, the Shane Show’,” Lee said on the latest episode of the Betoota Advocate Podcast.

He added– “And Steve Waugh pulled me aside and goes, ‘How are you going with Warnie?’ I said, ‘Look, he’s been really nice to me’. And Waugh goes, ‘Mate, do you remember when you were at school and there was a kid at school who had no mates? And this new kid comes to school, and the kid with no mates is all over the new kid?’ Waugh said, ‘You’re that new kid and Warnie’s the kid with no mates’.”

Shane Lee didn’t have a huge international career but he was with the Australian team when the egos of Warne and Waugh clashed off. Lee also revealed that he and Warnie had a great time during the 1996 World Cup in India. Lee recalled the time when Warnie tried to get dates for them in India.

A few months ago, Warne had tweeted that Waugh is ‘most selfish cricketer’ he has ever come across after EPSNCricinfo posted a stat saying that Waugh has been involved in many run-outs, majority of cases when his batting partner has been dismissed.