Warne’s week gets worse with speeding fine

LONDON - Agence France-Presse

Fresh from his ban for an ugly spat with Marlon Samuels during an Australian Twenty20 match, cricket great Shane Warne found himself in trouble on the other side of the world yesterday with a speeding fine.

Warne, 43, was fined 500 pounds after admitting driving at more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour on a south of Scotland motorway where the maximum speed is 70mph.

He escaped a driving ban, but had five penalty points put on his licence at a court in the town of Dumfries, south of Glasgow.

Warne was represented by lawyer Graham Walker, who entered a plea of guilty on behalf of the leg-spinner, widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers.

In remarks quoted by the BBC, Walker described the incident on the A74(M) motorway north of Gretna in September as an “error of judgement.”

In the course of a stellar career, Warne took 708 wickets in 145 Tests for Australia before retiring from international cricket in 2007. However, Warne has continued to play in Twenty20 events in India and Australia.

A day earlier, Warne was banned for one match for a foul-mouthed clash with West Indies batsman Samuels.