The late, great Shane Warne made a name for himself baffling opposition batters, but his son Jackson has shared how he also surprised many diners with a sly move.
Warne was well-known for having surprisingly simple and childlike food preferences.
He often admitted he never ate vegetables and avoided most fruits entirely.
His favourite meals were typically fast food staples like pizza, pasta and bacon sandwiches.
Warne famously loved spaghetti bolognese, especially when cooked with extra cheese and no greens in sight.
He had a notorious sweet tooth, enjoying chocolate, ice cream and lollies over any gourmet dessert.
The cricket legend was a big fan of baked beans on toast as a comfort food.
Warne even had cans of baked beans shipped in to satisfy his picky tastes when he toured India with the Australian Test team.
He admitted he struggled with local cuisine and preferred sticking to his familiar comfort food.
Warne avoided seafood altogether, once saying he couldn’t stand the smell or texture of fish.
The cricket icon’s breakfast of choice was often bacon and eggs with white toast – and certainly no avocado or salad.
Warne’s friends often joked that his diet resembled that of a teenager rather than a sporting giant.
Jackson has now disclosed just how much his legendary father was not a fan of gourmet food by revealing that Warne used to have takeaway pizzas delivered to some of Melbourne’s top dining establishments.
‘You know [Japanese restaurant] Nobu and Rockpool at Crown?’ Jackson said on the Life of Brian Podcast.
‘There has been multiple times where he would have an important meeting or catching up with people there for dinner.
‘He would go to restaurants, already knowing he wouldn’t eat anything, look at the menu and think, “I don’t eat steak, these fish and oysters, no thanks, that’s not for me”.’
‘So 40 minutes later, there would be a pizza from Gradi, just around the corner.
‘He would be eating a pizza from a different restaurant in one of the restaurants there.’
There was even a time when Warnie got kicked out for trying to pull the stunt at a fancy eatery.
The Daily Mail previously highlighted an incident where he was at a dinner with media and cricket commentators at one of Melbourne’s top restaurants and simply waved the waiter away while everyone else placed their orders.
‘No thanks mate,’ he said. ‘I’m right.’
Sure enough, a pizza delivery person soon arrived and Warnie started tucking into the meal right there at the table.
‘I’m very sorry Mr Warne,’ the maître d’ said. ‘But you can’t eat that here.’
‘Oh, OK, no worries,’ Warnie replied.
He took his pizza out to a nearby bench, finished it off and had a cigarette for dessert.
Aussie pace bowler Brett Lee has also confirmed that Warnie loved ordering pizza to flash restaurants.
‘I remember going to that famous Japanese restaurant Nobu, and Warnie ordered in a margherita pizza,’ Lee said on the Willow Talk Cricket Podcast.
‘Warnie only ever ate his baked beans, cheese on toast, he liked lasagna, spaghetti bolognese and margherita pizzas.
‘We were going to one of the best restaurants in the world and Warnie, just being Warnie, decided to order margherita pizza.
‘I don’t think he ever ate one vegetable in his life.’
