Shane Warne has re-ignited his old feud with Steve Waugh by revealing in his new book, No Spin, that he felt “totally let down” by Australia’s then captain when dropped from the playing XI in the fourth Test against West Indies in 1999. He also described his former Australia captain as “the most selfish player I ever played with, and was only worried about averaging 50”.

He also revealed in extracts published in The Times, London that he wanted to “puke” at the “Baggy Green worship” as he recalled his eventful time in the dressing room of a seemingly invincible Australian team.

Heading to the Caribbean, Waugh had just been appointed Test captain with Warne as vice-captain, and Australia had started the series by bowling out West Indies for 51 to win the first Test by 312 runs.

However, Brian Lara made two of the finest centuries of his career, 213 in the second Test and 153 not out in the third, as the West Indies made a comeback. The home side were leading 2-1 heading into the final Test in Antigua, and Warne had failed miserably in the first three Tests.

“I was vice-captain and bowling pretty ordinary and Tugga (Waugh) opened the selection meeting between the two of us and Geoff Marsh, the coach, by saying, ‘Warney, I don’t think you should play this next Test’.

“Silence. ‘Er, right,’ I said. ‘Why?’ ‘I don’t think you’re bowling very well, mate.’ ‘Yes... fair call,’ I admitted. ‘My shoulder (after surgery) is taking longer than I thought but it’s close now. The feel is slowly coming back and then the rhythm will come, mate. I’m not worried’,” he said.

Warne writes that Allan Border supported him, saying: “I back Warney every time. The situation is made for him. Anyway, we owe him. Think of what he’s done for Australian cricket. We need to show faith.”

However, Warne wrote that Waugh once again asserted his authority as captain: “No, I appreciate your thoughts, AB, but Warney’s not playing. I’m going with my gut here. Sorry, guys.”

Australia won the Test to square the series, but Warne felt let down.

“Disappointed is not a strong enough word. When the crunch came Tugga didn’t support me, and I felt so totally let down by someone who I had supported big time and was also a good friend,” Warne wrote.

He said he didn’t respond too well to the dropping and “conducted myself badly, to be honest.”

“I wasn’t that supportive of the team, which I regret. Looking back, this was probably a combination of the shoulder issue still eating away at me and the pure anger bubbling inside at Steve’s lack of trust,” he wrote.

“During the first three Tests, at various times some of the bowlers came to me, grumbling about Tugga’s captaincy and field placements and stuff.

“I said I was backing him to the hilt and if they had a problem with the captain they should go see him direct. Perhaps because of this, I was deeply disappointed that he didn’t back me in return.”

Warne said he found Waugh to be “niggling” after taking over as captain. “...there was more to it than my performances — I think it was jealousy. He started to niggle away, telling me to look at my diet and spend more time on deciding what sort of person I wanted to be in my life, how to conduct myself — that sort of stuff. I said, ‘Mate - worry about yourself’,” he wrote.

“I think Tugga turned into a more selfish player when he had his second run in the Test team, which changed him. My philosophies on the game were more aligned with Tubby [Mark Taylor] than with Steve; though, in fairness, Steve was a successful cricketer, if in a very different way to AB [Allan Border] and Tubs, whose style and direction I much preferred. It’s no secret that Tugga and I don’t see eye to eye these days.”

Warne was also critical of the Australians worshipping the baggy green.

“All that worship of the baggy green — some of the guys went with it, like Lang (Justin Langer), Haydos (Matthew Hayden) and Gilly (Adam Gilchrist), but it wasn’t for me,” Warne wrote.

“They loved it but, to be honest, they made me want to puke with it half the time. I mean, wearing it at Wimbledon! Who wears a green cricket cap to Wimbledon? It was just embarrassing! I don’t need a baggy green to prove what playing for Australia means to me.”