ACB shames warne, hands reins to Gill Christ

Warne, 30, had held the leadership role since early last year but despite being one of the greatest players of all time his off-field antics proved too much for the ACB.

ACB chairman Denis Rogers, who spoke with Warne to tell him of the Board’s decision, said his off-field behaviour had cost him the job.

“We have counselled him over the years and he’s been very honest with us but it’s got to the point where we think it’s time for a change,” Rogers said.

Warne’s latest indiscretion in England, where he’s playing county cricket with Hampshire, proved to be the last straw.

The married father-of-two admitted last month that he had left a string of obscene messages on the mobile phone of a woman he met in a nightclub, angering officials as cricket struggles to project a respectable image in the face of the match-fixing storm.

This followed another highly publicised incident in New Zealand last year when he tried to take a camera away from a young man who snapped him with a cigarette while he was being sponsored to give up smoking.

In 1994, Warne, along with Mark Waugh, admitted taking money from an Indian bookmaker.

Gilchrist, 28, has been mooted as a future captain for some time, having impressed with his character and cricket.

But the West Australian gloveman also has limited experience as a captain and concerns were rife among senior players that his stunning form could falter if given more responsibility at this early stage of his international career.

Ponting was considered the favourite, but like Warne, has a dubious off-field history.

He was suspended for two One-Day matches in 1998-99 after being knocked out in a brawl at a Sydney night club and promised to undergo counselling for a drinking problem.

The Tasmanian, 25, has also yet to captain his state on a regular basis.

JUNE 2000: Warne admits to “dirty talk” over the phone with a 22-year-old woman while in England playing with county side Hampshire.

FEBRUARY 2000: After being photographed smoking by a 15-year-old boy while on tour in New Zealand, Warne grabs the youth’s bag and swears at him after the boy refuses to hand over the film.

MAY 1999: Warne is called to appear before the International Cricket Commission board after criticising Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga. In an article in a London newspaper, Warne questioned Ranatunga’s sportsmanship, criticised his play and argued the sport would be better off without him.

APRIL 1999: Warne accepts a A $200,000 (US $120,000) pay-out from nicotine chewing-gum manufacturer Nicorette for a quit-smoking campaign, despite being photographed smoking only days before the deal was to finish.

1997: Warne storms out of a press conference to unveil his Madame Tussaud’s wax likeness after a journalist makes a crack about his weight.

SEPTEMBER 1994: During a short tour of Sri Lanka, Warne and Mark Waugh are paid A $5,000 and A $6,000 respectively by an Indian bookmaker for information on pitch and weather conditions. They are fined A $8,000 dollars and A $10,000 dollars over the incident.