Shane Warne under fire for asking repeated questions on drinking
Australian spin legend Shane Warne has come under severe criticism from several quarters after he questioned some of the World Cup-winning Australian cricketers whether they were “thirsty” following their seven-wicket win over New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.
"Are you feeling thirsty?" Warne asked wicket-keeper Brad Haddin, who replied saying he was ready to have a beer with every spectator who was present at the ground.
The 45-year-old later asked the same question to star batsman Steve Smith. When he interviewed the likes of Josh Hazlewood and Shane Watson, he asked them about how long they would be partying into the night.
"Are you going to have a bit of a drink tonight too, Smitty? Are you going to get thirsty as well?" the former leg-spinner asked.
The questions were met with harsh comments, both on Twitter as well as on other websites. Journalist Andrew Bolt asked whether Bradman would have had to answer such questions during his time, and added that no other country would do such a thing.
“No other country would on winning the World Cup make such a celebration of drinking and drunks," he wrote for the Herald Sun.
"Just as well Pakistan didn't win. Can you imagine Bradman being asked this stuff?" he further added.
Twitter was no less with many criticising Warne on his persistent asking of players about their drinking plans.
The former Rajasthan Royals captain responded to all the criticism through his Twitter account:
Do gooders get stuffed. Straya is the best place in the world, not politically correct, keep it real. Aussies celebrate properly ! #thirsty
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) March 29, 2015
Aust has won the World Cup after 6 weeks of hard work & people are banging on that I asked the players about a drink to celebrate ? Please
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) March 30, 2015