Former Australia captain Michael Clarke recently opened up on Shane Warne's love for smoking and narrated unheard tales about the legendary spinner’s behaviour during the training camp before Ashes 2006.

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Speaking on Big Sports Breakfast, Clarke revealed Australian players were allowed to carry just basic essentials like t-shirts, pants, socks, underwear, joggers and a cap on the three-day training camp but Warne chose to give up other stuff for cigarettes.

“For someone like Warnie who loved a smoke, he pretty much told them he is not coming unless he can bring his smokes. It was World War five,” quoted Clarke.

John Buchanan, who was the Australian coach at that time, gave Warne a choice that for each packet of cigarette he would have to let go of an item. Despite the condition, Warne was left unfazed as he gave up his underwear and socks in favour of 6 packets of cigarettes.

“Warnie flicked his three pairs of undies, flicked his three pairs of socks and put six packs of darts in and off we went.

“In the middle of the bush, sleeping bag only, no cover, no shelter, on the ground and it was pitch black. All you could see was this orange light coming out of someone’s sleeping bag and it was Warnie just sucking his dart back,” Clarke said.

Talking about the relationship between Warne and John Buchanan, Clarke said: “The fact him and John didn’t get on and Warnie didn’t respect John Buchanan as a coach at all, that he thought I’m not getting told what to do from this dude.”

“If it was Ricky Ponting there, Warnie would have found a way to either bite his tongue or he might have said something to Ricky one-on-one ... it wouldn’t have been in front of everyone. At that stage Warnie was so done with John Buchanan he didn’t care,” he concluded.

In the 2006 Ashes, Shane Warne finished with 23 wickets to his name as Australia whitewashed England by 5-0.

(Inputs from India Today)