Shane Warne is a total lout and a playboy – and he’s been sledging right back to school cricket days when Crikey played against him.

So, foul-mouthed Shane Warne has been exposed yet again. Crikey reckons that Warnie got his just desserts losing the vice-captaincy for his off-field conduct conduct last year. Clearly, his onfield behaviour has a long way to go and we can say this with some experience having played with and against the All-Australian lout at school.

You see Warnie was at Mentone Grammar in 1987 – the same year Crikey was finishing at Ivanhoe Grammar. We first clapped eyes on Warnie on one drizzly Saturday morning when he walked past our dressing room and said something like “C’mon boys, let’s nail these bunnies.” Hi mate, nice to meet you we all thought.

Needless to say, Mentone’s first 11 did just that – but Crikey did survive three fizzing leggies from Warnie and took a single before throwing away his wicket at the other end next over.

Anyway, because Crikey’s English teacher and cricket coach was on the All Grammars selection panel, we snuck into the combined Grammars team which was captained by Warnie who had successfully led Mentone to the championship.

This meant I got to play three matches under Warnie’s captaincy. He was one of those guys who made you walk tall with his infectious confidence and exceptional talent. He’d love to crack gags, play up and be one of the lads.

I bumped into him a couple of times in 1988 – the lout was driving a hotted up Cortina by this time – and then lost touch until the grand opening of the Crown Entertainment Complex on May 8 1997. Warnie, who was one of Lloyd Williams’s best mates and heroes, was on what seemed like the head table with Eddie McGuire and Ian Healy – the man Warnie says had the most positive influence on him in the Australian team. Anyway, I bowled up to him at Crown after a few too many wines and he was quite pleasant – even appearing to remember me.

A few weeks later Herald Sun sports reporter Ron Reed was asked to do a profile on Warnie but the lout was being thoroughly unco-operative, as apparently is his trademark with the press. Features editor Brian Walsh asked me to do a break out on Warnie’s finances so I simply rang Lloyd, got the details of Warnie’s investment in the All Stars Caf at Crown and postulated as to how many millions he was worth. Word filtered back later to Ron Reed that his profile piece was okay but Warnie was fuming about my break out. The lad seemed a bit precious. How dare anyone speculate about his personal finances.

Anyway, last year I met a senior journalist in Sydney who has a friend in DFAT (the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). She tells the story of Warnie propositioning her in a New Zealand hotel room. I won’t go into the detail but it was Sam Newmanesque in its daring – along the lines of “what do you thing of this”. Clearly Warnie had no concept that Foreign Affairs refers to the Australian government and he thought he could treat this diplomatic person like some English nurse he met in a bar.

Rival Aussie leg spinner Stuart MacGill hs found Warnie to be very unfriendly and subsequently hates the guy so he’ll be really happy to watch the latest fall from grace.

Warnie’s great efforts over the years

1987: tells Ivanhoe Grammar first X1 they’re bunnies before a ball is bowled.

March 1994: Warne screams at jaapie opener Andrew Hudson after taking his wicket: “Fuck off. Go on Hudson, fuck off out of here” The ACB fines him $4000.

August 1997: Warne is accused of unacceptable behaviour and gloating after his arrogant Ashes victory dance at Trent Bridge, where he jigged with a cricket stump held aloft.

December 1998: Warne admits he took $5000 from an illegal Indian bookmaker for weather and pitch information during a 1994 tour of Sri Lanka.

May 1999: Warne is fined by the ICC for criticising Sr Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga in a newspaper column leading up to the World Cup. He gets 1000 quid a week from Rupert’s Sunday Times which is far too much.

February 2000: Warne calls two New Zealand 15 year-old boys “cock head” and “fuck face” after they took photos of him smoking. Warne later apologises.

Late 1999: Warne is acused by Scott Muller of the notorious “can’t bowl can’t throw” sledge until miraculously, cameraman Joe Privatera steps forward and takes the fall.

June 2000: Warne loses the Australian vice-captaincy after admitting making explicit phone calls to a British nurse and single mum.

January 2001: Warne calls Zimbabwe Stuart Carlisle a “fucken arsey cunt” after he hit a couple of sixes.