The greatest, as it is often seen have the mightiest fall! Australia's Shane Warne, surely one of the world's most admired cricketers is disgracefully stripped off his vice-captaincy. His well- publicized indiscretions finally got the better of him. Being a player of world class, it must have been quite a shameful and humiliating decision to accept.

However, Warne must realize that it is his doings that have led him to face this disgrace. Not just once, but a whole lot many times before too. Hark back to September 1994. During a short tour of Sri Lanka, Warne and mark Waugh are paid $5000 and $6000 respectively by an Indian bookmaker for information on pitch and weather conditions. They are fined $8000 and $10000 over the incident.

Case two: The year 1997, Warne storms out of a press conference to unveil his Madame Tussaud's wax likeness after a journalist cracks a joke on his weight. Two years later. April 1999 saw Warne accepting a $200,000 pay-out from nicotine chewing-gum manufacturing nicorette for a quit-smoking campaign, despite being photographed smoking only days before the deal was to finish.

Soon after in May 1999, Warne is admonished for having criticized Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga. February 2000 Warne was photographed smoking by a 15-year-old boy while on tour in New Zealand. He grabbed the youth's bag and swears at him after the boy refuses to hand over the film. And of course, only recently Warne admitted to "dirty talk” over the phone with a 22-year-old woman while in England playing with county side Hampshire.

Whew! Quite a long list that! To which, Waugh says, "Obviously I am very disappointed for Shane." Yes, we agree, it is quite obviously disappointing to say the very least. Thanks for telling us that Mr. Waugh. We wouldn't have known!