'He's never forgiven him': Cricket great pinpoints the moment Shane Warne's long-running feud with Steve Waugh began - and reveals whose side he's on
- Mark Taylor said Steve Waugh dropping Shane Warne in Antigua started the feud
- Warne was out of form and left out of a deciding test match against West Indies
- Taylor believes Waugh made the wrong decision and Warne should have played
- Warne wrote in his autobiography 'disappointed is not a strong enough word'
Former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor has weighed in on the origins of Shane Warne and Steve Waugh's long-standing feud.
The 55-year-old said Waugh dropping Warne for a series-deciding Test match against the West Indies in Antigua in 1999 was the genesis for their aversion.
Warne had just returned from shoulder surgery and only took four wickets in four Tests, while fellow leg spinner Stuart MacGill was in good form after seven wickets at an average of 35.43.
'For the final test match, Steve went with MacGill and left Warne out, and that certainly irked Shane Warne at the time, and I don’t think he’s ever forgiven him,' Taylor said on Sport Sunday.
Mark Taylor believes Steve Waugh and Shane Warne's feud stems from the spinner being left out of a must-win test match against West Indies in Antigua in 1999
Warne (pictured with former teammate Ricky Ponting) wrote in his autobiography he was disappointed he was dropped for the deciding test
The veteran of 104 tests said it was no secret the pair weren't mates and believes the rookie captain made the wrong choice in leaving his star spinner out of the side for a must-win match.
'At the time, no. I didn’t think it was (the correct decision),' Taylor said.
'If you had to make a decision between the two leggies, which I think Australia had to do at that stage because Brian Lara was playing so well, I’d have gone for the guy who’s been great for so long, even though he wasn’t at his best.'
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Warne wrote about missing the Test in his 2018 autobiography No Spin: 'Disappointed is not a strong enough word.
'When the crunch came Tugga [Waugh] didn't support me, and I felt so totally let down by someone who I had supported big time and was also a good friend.
'Steve will always say the result justifies the decision, but I don't think it's as simple as that. I lost a bit of respect for him after that.
Waugh (pictured with wife Lynette) has defended his decision to leave Warne out of the match, which Australia won before winning the series
'I believe he should have backed me – as I always believe the art of captaincy is to support your players and back them every time. This gains the respect from the players and makes them play for you. He didn't, it's history, but I never found it easy with him after that.'
Warne also addressed the issue on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2016.
'I don't like Steve Waugh for a lot of reasons, but that was the reason,' he said.
The 50-year-old reignited his feud with his former captain last week when he called Waugh 'the most selfish cricketer' he ever played with.
Waugh brushed off the spinner's comments and defended the decision to leave Warne out of the squad in Antigua, saying it was for the benefit of the team.
'People keep saying it's a feud, but to me, a feud's between two people,' Waugh told Sydney Morning Herald. 'I've never bought into it, so it's just one person.'
'His comments are a reflection of himself, nothing to do with me. That's all I'd say.'
Warne rests his head on Waugh's shoulder as the Australian world cup team pose for their official team photo in 1999
