Spinning great Shane Warne has blasted the "arrogant mindset" that Australian administrators and ex-players have about the state of Australian cricket, a newspaper reported Friday.
Warne, who retired from international cricket last January as the all-time leading wicket-taker before he was overtaken by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan, says Australian cricket is playing a dangerous game of thinking its team is unchallengeable in world cricket.
In a wide-ranging interview in The Daily Telegraph newspaper, the 38-year-old champion leg-spinner said world cricket dominance is cyclical and other nations will catch up with Australia on the pitch.
"The only issue I've got with cricket at the moment is that Australian people and administrators and ex-players and ex-coaches have got to stop the arrogant mindset that Australia is so much better than anybody else," Warne said.
"Yes, Australia is the No. 1 country in the world, but all this bull about our players going to other countries and playing, what a lot of crap.
"There's going to be a time in the next two or three years when Australia is tested. Other countries will catch up and they will unearth someone, that's just the cycle."
Warne told the newspaper that the senior players in the Australian cricket team have a responsibility not to stay too long in the game.
"There comes a time. It's a fine line. It's up to the individual when you retire," he said. "But we still have to look to the future.
"That's a balancing act for the selectors to make sure they say, 'You know what, we need to make sure we get some young blokes in', we don't want to lose two or three (senior) players one year, then two or three the next year and suddenly we have all these young players'.
"Senior players also have a responsibility to not hang in there."
The outspoken Warne also had a shot at the International Cricket Council for what he says is its failure to develop stronger cricket playing countries.
"The ICC can't just sit back and say we'll have another Twenty20 tournament, let's just have a World Cup and get more money in the game," he said.
"The ICC must try to develop other countries. Get people who know about the game to spend time there. We need India, England, South Africa, West Indies all really strong."
Warne believes the touring Indian team will be more competitive in Australia this southern summer than some commentators give credit.
"Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman I have played either with or against. You never write off a great player," he said.
"I don't believe just because he is getting old, he is finished. A lot of these players are old, they know their game, they know how to prepare.
"Given the conditions in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide are going to be pretty flat, I expect Sachin to get a lot of runs," he said. "Obviously, he is not as good as he was in the mid-1990s, but he is a great."
"He is one of the all-time great players to ever play the game and he still is a very, very good player."
"There is no doubt he will play one or two special innings in this Test match series.
"Absolutely no doubt, he will play a couple of unbelievable breathtaking innings."
Warne, who retired from international cricket last January as the all-time leading wicket-taker before he was overtaken by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan, says Australian cricket is playing a dangerous game of thinking its team is unchallengeable in world cricket.
In a wide-ranging interview in The Daily Telegraph newspaper, the 38-year-old champion leg-spinner said world cricket dominance is cyclical and other nations will catch up with Australia on the pitch.
"The only issue I've got with cricket at the moment is that Australian people and administrators and ex-players and ex-coaches have got to stop the arrogant mindset that Australia is so much better than anybody else," Warne said.
"Yes, Australia is the No. 1 country in the world, but all this bull about our players going to other countries and playing, what a lot of crap.
"There's going to be a time in the next two or three years when Australia is tested. Other countries will catch up and they will unearth someone, that's just the cycle."
Warne told the newspaper that the senior players in the Australian cricket team have a responsibility not to stay too long in the game.
"There comes a time. It's a fine line. It's up to the individual when you retire," he said. "But we still have to look to the future.
"That's a balancing act for the selectors to make sure they say, 'You know what, we need to make sure we get some young blokes in', we don't want to lose two or three (senior) players one year, then two or three the next year and suddenly we have all these young players'.
"Senior players also have a responsibility to not hang in there."
The outspoken Warne also had a shot at the International Cricket Council for what he says is its failure to develop stronger cricket playing countries.
"The ICC can't just sit back and say we'll have another Twenty20 tournament, let's just have a World Cup and get more money in the game," he said.
"The ICC must try to develop other countries. Get people who know about the game to spend time there. We need India, England, South Africa, West Indies all really strong."
Warne believes the touring Indian team will be more competitive in Australia this southern summer than some commentators give credit.
"Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman I have played either with or against. You never write off a great player," he said.
"I don't believe just because he is getting old, he is finished. A lot of these players are old, they know their game, they know how to prepare.
"Given the conditions in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide are going to be pretty flat, I expect Sachin to get a lot of runs," he said. "Obviously, he is not as good as he was in the mid-1990s, but he is a great."
"He is one of the all-time great players to ever play the game and he still is a very, very good player."
"There is no doubt he will play one or two special innings in this Test match series.
"Absolutely no doubt, he will play a couple of unbelievable breathtaking innings."
