Melbourne: Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has revealed that he shares a completely different viewpoint to that of Shane Warne on Steve Waugh, describing the ex-captain as ‘incredibly supportive’ during his struggling phase of playing career.
Hayden shared his views in the wake of Warne’s recent comments on Waugh during a program, wherein he slammed the former Australia captain as ‘the most selfish cricketer that I’ve played with’.
Read: Never indulged in sledging, claims Steve Waugh
In his latest column for News.com.au, the former explosive opener stated that Waugh used to instil confidence and encouraged him to keep scoring runs when he had been out of the Test team for five years.
Hayden, who then went on to score 30 centuries in his 103 Test matches, insisted that Waugh played an invaluable role in the golden era of Australian cricket, adding the former captain’s vision made his side ‘indestructible’.
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He believes that Waugh takes his place rightly and respectfully as a unique Australian sporting treasure, adding that a man who has supported charitable organisations globally cannot be titled as selfish.
Spin great Warne reflected on the fateful incident that happened 17 years ago when he was axed from the final Test against the West Indies, with Australia trailing 1-2.
Earlier, Steve Waugh on Friday hit back at Shane Warne after he reignited a long-running feud between two of Australia’s greatest players, saying he was doing his job as captain when he dropped the leg-spinner in 1999.
Earlier this week, Warne blasted his former teammate and skipper as “the most selfish cricketer I’ve played with”, still holding a grudge after Waugh axed him for the final Test on a tour of the West Indies 17 years ago, a game Australia won, reported AFP.
