( L - R ) Warne, Symonds

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP):

Shane Warne has criticised troubled allrounder Andrew Symonds for showing a lack of respect to the Australian cricket team.

Warne, who was the leading Test-wicket taker of all time when he retired from international cricket two years ago, said Symonds let the side down when he reportedly chose to go fishing instead of attending a mandatory team meeting.

Symonds was sent home from Darwin before the recent three-match limited-overs series against Bangladesh and was not selected for the upcoming four-Test tour of India, with Cricket Australia deciding he needed time to consider his international career.

Controversy

Warne was no stranger to controversy, was banned for a year because of a doping violation and barely concealed his contempt for some of former coach John Buchanan's methods, but led from the front in the team environment in a 145-Test career.

He said with skipper Ricky Ponting and veteran opening batsman Matthew Hayden missing because of injuries, Symonds should have given more support to stand-in captain Michael Clarke as one of the senior members of the squad.

"I would have thought that if Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke were good friends, then Symo would have more respect for Michael Clarke than that," Warne said in yesterday's Herald-Sun newspaper in Melbourne.

Young captain

"I think it's disappointing that he put a young captain like Michael Clarke in that position. It was disappointing from Symo ... It's not a one-off thing and I just think Symo has showed a lack of respect."

Warne, now captain of a franchise in the Indian Premier League and works as a coach and pundit, said the only way Symonds would rebuild respect among his Australian teammates was to return as a "better person" and win back his Test spot.

He also said Symonds should not be tempted to quit international cricket for a full-time contract with the Twenty20 IPL.

"I would be disappointed if he took the easy option and just threw it away," Warne said. "He could do that and just take his cash from the IPL, but to me that would be the easy option.

"The hard option and the option that will satisfy him and earn him some respect is to come back a better person and show how important playing for Australia is to him."