Ambrose and Waugh were involved in an ugly exchange during the Trinidad Test.
For the most part of his career but that day, the West Indies pace legend believed in letting only his ball do the talk. But a comment from Waugh really riled him up, as he threatened to "knock out" the Aussie batsman at that moment in Trinidad.
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"Steve Waugh and I had our battles over the years. He was a tough competitor and I have a lot of respect for him but in that particular game he said something to me that I didn’t like," Ambrose recalled during a Sky Sports Cricket Podcast with ex-teammate Ian Bishop.
"Initially I ignored it, as in the heat of the battle you can say things, but after a break, something just snapped."
What happened afterwards at the Queens Park Oval remains an infamous part of a series which shifted the balance in power at the highest level, beginning West Indies' decline and Australia's world dominance.
"I asked him, ‘did you say so and so to me?’ He didn’t say yes, he didn’t say no. He just said ‘I can say anything I want to say’ which to me was a yes. I decided I deserved more respect so I had a few choice words for him," revisited Ambrose, who had to be restrained by then skipper Richie Richardson.
"I said ‘my cricket career could be over right this minute, it doesn’t make a difference to me, but your career will be over, too, because I’ll knock you out and you won’t be able to play anymore’. There were a few expletives in between obviously," he added.
However, the two men quite maturely kept that on the field and haven't talked about it in their occasional meetings since then.
"I was upset as I deserved more respect - but it started and ended there," said Ambrose. "I have seen him a few times since and we have never spoken about it."
(Inputs from HT)