Warne `was dreaming when the news came’

LONDON, AUGUST 5: Shane Warne thought he was dreaming when he was telephoned at 2 am to be told he had been stripped of the vice-captaincy...

LONDON, AUGUST 5: Shane Warne thought he was dreaming when he was telephoned at 2 am to be told he had been stripped of the vice-captaincy of the Australian cricket team.

“Of course It was a huge disappointment but I am determined to take it on the chin and keep giving everything I can to my country.

“The selectors wanted me to continue as vice-captain, but they were overruled by the Australian Cricket Board. That is the most upsetting part of the whole business.”

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“I am only human and I would be lying if I said I was not hurt by the decision,” Warne wrote. “Sometimes people forget that international sportsmen have feelings just like the bloke in crowd.”

He said he would offer support to the new vice-captain. “I have no problem at all with Adam Gilchrist. I wish him all the luck in the world and if he ever needs any help or advice, particularly in the early stages when he is learning the job, he only has to ask,” Warne wrote.

“When we meet before the game against South Africa this month I will make a point of shaking his hand and saying `all the best, mate’.”