‘Mate, I haven’t heard one thing about you that’s any good. Everyone on this field hates you. Even the non-striker told me he thinks you’re a prick.’

– Shane Warne’s first verbal encounter with Kevin Pietersen during a warm-up match during an Australian tour of England.

When waiting to face his first delivery from Warne, Pietersen had twice stepped away from the crease, forcing Warne to stop halfway through his delivery stride. Warne had Pietersen caught at short leg two balls later.

• Extract from Shane Warne’s new book, No Spin: My Autobiography.

Photo: Tom Shaw/Getty Images