FORMER Hampshire skipper Shane Warne has been banned for one match and fined for his nasty clash with Marlon Samuels in yesterday's Big Bash Melbourne derby.
In unprecedented scenes at the MCG, the Melbourne Stars skipper engaged in a verbal war of words with Samuels, before the former Australian spinner threw the ball into the West Indian's midriff in the act of returning it to the wicketkeeper.
That prompted Samuels to hurl his bat in Warne's direction, sparking more angry exchanges as the umpires attempted to calm matters in a match that was eventually won by the Renegades by nine wickets.
Warne, whose side face the Sydney Thunder tomorrow looking for a place in the semi-finals, said he went “too far” last night and that he accepted the punishment.
He tweeted: “I have decided to accept my penalty of a 1 match ban! Let's hope the boys can win tomorrow & we can make the semi finals... Thanks for support guys, sport can be an emotional & at times very passionate too. I went too far in trying to stand up for the team!!”
However, he also said he felt he had been harshly treated.
He tweeted: “I'm disappointed at some of my actions last night as captain & as a player,but I'm also very disappointed at the severe penalty I received!”
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