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| Samuels won the game for the Windies.Source:Getty Images |
Samuels dedicated his man of the match award to the famous leg-spinner and said: “I don’t know why he hates me ... Maybe it’s because my face is real and his face is not” in a fiery post-match press conference.
But Haddin thinks whatever Samuels’ intention was, all he’s done is taken the gloss of the West Indies’ win, making his personal feud a talking point and distracting people from the Caribbean side’s incredible performance on the field.
“We should all be talking about Brathwaite’s four sixes in a row — which is an extraordinary effort in the last over especially with the pressure of a World Cup — but instead we’re talking about a grudge that Marlon has against Shane,” Haddin told news.com.au.
“It’s disappointing to be worrying about those sorts of things when it was such a special event to win a World Cup final.
“They should be more worried about the achievement they had on the field rather than trying to get a message out after such a great event.
“I think they could have picked a better time to do it.
“It’s given everyone a talking point rather than the game of cricket.”
Warne and Samuels first made headlines when the two had an ugly run-in during the 2012-2013 Big Bash tournament, with Australia’s leading wicket-taker swearing at the West Indian and appearing to deliberately hit him when throwing the ball back to the ’keeper.
Samuels hurled his bat down the pitch near Warne when the Aussie veteran got away without punishment for his throw.
It came after Warne angrily yelled: “F*** you, Marlon!” after the Windies big-hitter had earlier grabbed Melbourne Stars teammate David Hussey’s shirt.
The Aussie spin king was highly critical of Samuels’ performances during the recent Test series in Australia, and also had a go at him for throwing his wicket away in his team’s semi-final win over India last week.
“Well, this is a bit embarrassing for Marlon Samuels,” Warne said during his commentary of the match for Indian television.
“For your No. 3, Marlon Samuels, in this situation, in such a big game, that’s an embarrassing dismissal. That’s pretty poor.”
Samuels, like so many of the West Indian stars, comes across as a cool, laid-back character, which is what makes his attack on Warne so surprising. But as a professional cricketer, criticism comes with the territory, and Haddin was disappointed with the 35-year-old’s reaction to Warne’s comments.
“I’ve never had any issues with him. The last time we played (in the Caribbean in 2015) he was pretty quiet and didn’t say a word,” Haddin said.
“He’s a professional cricketer and Shane’s comments were pretty close to the mark.
“He had a pretty disappointing summer out here and all he (Warne) was doing was commentating on Channel 9 so for this to go where it has, I just think it’s disappointing from a West Indies point of view after a World Cup final.
“We should be talking about the game of cricket.”
While cricket is Australia’s national game, recent statistics show 78 per cent of Australian children are getting less than the recommended daily amount of exercise. MILO has launched the Champions Band — a new fitness and activity tracker for kids — to address this concern, and it is an initiative backed by the former Australian gloveman.
“After seeing these stats as a parent it’s a real eye opener. That’s why I think the MILO Champions Band is an outstanding idea — it gives parents an opportunity to track the good habits and bad habits of kids with their exercise and daily intake of food,” said Haddin.
“It’s a good, fun way for parents to come up with ideas for their kids to be active.”
‘YOU DON’T MUCK AROUND WITH HIM’
FORMER Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawson has provided players around the world with an extra reason not to get on Marlon Samuels’ bad side.
Shane Warne and Ben Stokes already know what it’s like to cop the West Indian batsman’s wrath — and they might be on the lookout to hire their own security team in the wake of Lawson’s revelation.
Speaking on The Big Sports Breakfast radio program on Monday morning, Lawson said Samuels’ connections at home in the West Indies had him more in line for a role in The Godfather rather than the next Shane Warne musical.
“He’s tied up with some pretty shady people back in the West Indies, he’s a guy you don’t muck around with on or off the field,” Lawson said.
“He’s tied up with the gangs there and it goes well beyond cricket.”
Samuels grew up in Kingston on the island of Jamaica. While the tropical isles of the Caribbean are often seen as the ideal holiday destination, statistics released in January show homicide levels on the island jumped 20 per cent from the previous year, with 1192 murders recorded in 2015.
Samuels showed his emotions on the field as well as after the match. When Ben Stokes was getting hammered, the right-hander unleashed a vicious spray on the England all-rounder to add further embarrassment to an unwanted result for the men in red.
“He can’t control his emotions and he likes to get stuck into people,” said Lawson.
“To have a go at Stokes on the field at that moment, that lacked the spirit of the game that’s for sure.
“That was pretty poor stuff at the end of a terrific tournament and a great victory for the West Indies.”
Source by : http://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/there-was-one-big-problem-with-marlon-samuels-attack-on-shane-warne/news-story/e20743f469dda4ce5eab0652c9ecb20c
