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Criminal charge against Warne

New Delhi - A local cricket association is set to lodge a criminal complaint against Australian bowling legend Shane Warne for his part in a bust-up with an official, reports said on Sunday.

Warne, captain of the Rajasthan Royals team in the Indian Premier League, was involved in an angry exchange with Sanjay Dixit, secretary of the Rajasthan state cricket association, following his team's defeat at home on Wednesday.

Leg-spinner Warne on Saturday apologised for the incident but the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) said they would still lodge the complaint, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.

"It is an aggravated offence and it needs to be dealt with like that. Some kind of disciplinary action is to be taken," PTI quoted Dixit as saying.

Rajasthan Royals chief executive Sean Morris on Saturday said in an email to Dixit that the franchise had taken action against Warne.

"The player has accepted the action that we have taken and apologised for any distress caused," Morris said, without elaborating further.

Dixit said the apology letter sent by Morris lacked details.

Accordingly, the legal committee of the RCA decided to file a criminal complaint against Warne, the agency added.

"I don't know what kind of disciplinary action has been taken. A mere statement was made and nothing more has been done," Dixit said.

The controversy kicked off after Warne expressed displeasure over the playing surface chosen for Rajasthan's last two matches against Chennai and Bangalore - both of which the home side lost.

Dixit claimed Warne had been putting pressure on him to provide a "suitable" wicket for Rajasthan's home matches.

After the defeat against Chennai on Monday, Warne had questioned why the home side was asked to play on a different wicket from the one used in previous games.

The back-to-back defeats against Chennai and Bangalore have dented Rajasthan's chance of advancing to the play-offs and shattered Warne's dream of a second IPL title.

Warne, who led Rajasthan to triumph in the inaugural Twenty20 competition in 2008, is set to retire from all forms of the game after the current edition.

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