“I never really sledged KP because I wanted him to do well”: When Shane Warne confessed his admiration for Kevin Pietersen

Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen had a close relationship, and Warne said that he did not ever sledged KP in his career.

Shane Warne is arguably one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He was the first bowler in the world to claim 700 test wickets. He ended his career with 708 test wickets, whereas he has 293 ODI wickets under his belt. Warne also bowled the “Ball of the Century” in the 1993 Ashes.

Apart from his on-field records, Warne has had a lot of controversies throughout his career. He failed the drug test ahead of the 2003 World Cup. Warne even passed on the critical information to a bookmaker about the game. He has also been in a rift with Muttiah Muralitharan, Arjuna Ranatunga and Steve Waugh.  Despite all the off-field controversies, Warne is hugely admired in the cricketing circuit.

Shane Warne was proud of Kevin Pietersen

Shane Warne became a fan of Kevin Pietersen when Pietersen decided to play for Hampshire under Warne. They both played against each other in 2004, and Pietersen changed his county from Notts to Hampshire. Shane Warne said that he was one of the first voices to vocally support Kevin for the England callup.

“I was one of KP’s leading voices and said England would be silly not to pick KP, watching him bat,” Warne said.

“I remember one particular game against Sussex maybe we needed 350 [285] to win, KP got a great hundred [a 51-ball 61] and we nearly got home and I remember coming out and saying, ‘Right, come on, England have got to pick Kevin Pietersen’. And I was lucky enough that they did, not because of what I said but it was lucky enough that they picked KP, that he showed what he could do in the one-dayers.”

England batsman Kevin Pietersen is fined for speeding in a Lamborghini arranged for him by ex Aussie star Shane Warne.

— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) December 9, 2010

Shane Warne said that he didn’t sledged KP because they were really close. He also said that he was proud of what Kevin was achieving in his career.

“I never really sledged KP because I wanted him to do well. I saw him as one of my players at Hampshire so I wanted him to do well and never really sledged him at all,”

“For me, I was proud because I’d seen KP, I was captain at Hampshire, I’d watched first-hand how good he was and how destructive he could be, and I was glad the world got to see that after a period of time how wonderful a batsman KP was and how good he made cricket to watch. It was a lot more entertaining when he was doing well.”