Slats Lifts Lid On Fury

Sun Herald

Sunday July 31, 2005

By WILL SWANTON

MICHAEL Slater has revealed his fury about being sacked from the Test team and detailed the tense exchanges that followed with two of the men responsible for his demise Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist.

Australia's controversial former opening batsman writes in his autobiography, Slats The Michael Slater Story, which will be released tomorrow, that he knew his head was on the chopping block when he was ordered to Waugh's hotel room in London the day before the final Ashes Test of the 2001 series.

Waugh, who Slater said was visibly nervous while struggling to make eye contact with him, accused Slater of being disorganised, a threat to team harmony and possibly having more interest in commenting than playing, before disclosing the real reason he was was being sacked his simmering personal problems.

Slater's marriage to childhood sweetheart Stephanie was falling apart and they eventually divorced.

Waugh and Gilchrist were selectors as captain and vice-captain of the touring party. Waugh told the rest of the players during a training session at The Oval that Slater had been omitted, without divulging any of the nitty-gritty details.

Slater writes that he was furious and told Waugh to tell the team the whole story.

Waugh replied that he had no intention of doing so, and said Slater could go right ahead if he wanted to.

Slater was convinced his fellow players had a right to know the real story.

Then, the normally mild-mannered Gilchrist intervened, telling Slater to keep his mouth shut because his behaviour was not appropriate with the team preparing for an important Test.

Slater was stunned at Gilchrist's outburst and went quiet at the end of an incident that left him in tears, shaking and feeling alone.

He was too upset to complete the training session and stormed off, crying.

Matthew Hayden tried to stop Slater leaving, crying as well, before Shane Warne put his arm around Slater, asked if he was OK and offered him a cigarette.

Slater said he had no ill feelings towards Justin Langer, the batsman who replaced him in England and has since made the opening position his own with Hayden.

© 2005 Sun Herald

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