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Waugh and Warne find support in Australian side

Embattled Australian cricketers Mark Waugh and Shane Warne, who have admitted to taking money from an Indian bookmaker, have the full support of the Australian Test team, captain Mark Taylor said today.

On the eve of the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide, Taylor said he asked all members of the current team at a meeting on Tuesday whether they had any problems playing with Waugh or Warne. All of them said they did not.

"They have our full and 100 per cent support,'' Taylor said.

Warne and Waugh, two of Australia's most popular and highest-paid players, yesterday admitted to being naive and stupid'' for taking money from an Indian bookmaker during Australia's 1994 tour of Sri Lanka.

The revelation, made worse by an admission by the Australian Cricket Board that it had covered up the affair and asked the International Cricket Council to do the same, has plunged Australian cricket into crisis.

Taylor said he knew about the matter during the 1994 tour, and described the pair as foolish.

"It worried me at the time because they compromised themselves,'' Taylor said. "But I knew they hadn't done anything to jeopardise Australian cricket."

"They did the wrong thing and took a cheap dollar. Two guys took a fast buck, nothing more than that and their records as individuals... since 1994 (are) second to none.''

The ACB fined Waugh A$ 10,000 and Warne A$ 8,000 for selling information about weather and pitch conditions to the bookmaker.

The revelation shook the cricket world and is almost certain to force the International Cricket Council to address the subject of illegal betting in the sport at its meeting next month in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Taylor joined in criticism of the ACB, saying it was mistaken. "My feelings are exactly the same as they were at the time, they made a mistake and they've admitted that mistake,'' he said of the Board.

Waugh and Warne's admissions and the ACB's behaviuor have been widely condemned by cricket commentators, in newspaper editorials and by the public.

But Nike, Warne's main sponsor, has decided to stick with the greatest leg-spinner of the modern era.

In a statement, Nike said Warne made a serious misjudgment in 1994 when he and Waugh took money from an Indian bookmaker.

'In response to recent revelations regarding cricketer Shane Warne, we will continue our ongoing support of the Australian spin bowler,' Nike said. 'We do not, however, condone these actions in any way. We believe this was a serious misjudgment on Shane's behalf. However, he has been disciplined and subsequently fined by the Australian Cricket Board for his misconduct.'

'Following our discussions with Shane, we understand it is a decision he regrets, and we believe in the past four years he has matured and learned from his mistake.'

Warne makes more money from endorsements than any other player in Australian cricket history, earning about US$ 600,000 a year.

Waugh's take is estimated around A$ 450,000 with salary making up about A$ 275,000.

Warne owns an A$ 2 million Melbourne home, an A$ 300,000 Ferrari, has a five-year contract with Nike and other sponsorship deals with Australian companies like the Quit campaign, Just Jeans, Foxtel, Oakley Sunglasses, Gunn and Moore bats and Sony Music.

In an interview with The Age, Melbourne, marketing director with Oakley Sunglasses Bianca Perry said her firm would stand by the three-year contract it had with Warne.

Michael Porra, general manager, International Management Group, told The Age that he believed the public would quickly forget the players' role in the controversy and the real problem lay with the ACB. "It happened four years ago, for God's sake, and companies are not going to worry that such a couple of magnificent Australian icons are going to be rejected because they made a bit of a mistake," he said.

But Ian Dresner, managing director, Rebel Sports store chain, said some sports stores were concerned that massive media coverage of the controversy may cut sales of goods Warne and Waugh endorsed in the run-up to Christmas.

Sir Donald Bradman indicated his disappointment when he met Taylor in Adelaide today. "I think he's a little disappointed,'' Taylor said of Sir Donald's reaction to the controversy. "But typically, Don Bradman didn't make any rash statements.''

Rediff Sports Bureau, UNI