'Naughty and lovable' Warne remembered as cricket world mourns

Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove paid tribute to the "naughty and lovable" Shane Warne for reviving the English county's fortunes following the cricket great's death on Friday.

The outstanding Australia leg-spinner, the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets, captained Hampshire during what was his lone spell as a cricketer in the English domestic game from 2000-07.

Bransgrove told Hampshire's website it was "impossible to exaggerate the impact" the "inspirational leader and brilliant tactician," had had in establishing the south coast club as a "major force".

Warne was Hampshire's captain in the early part of a 2005 season where they were runners-up in the County Championship -- their best finish in the first-class competition for 20 years.

And the team he helped build went on to win several limited-overs trophies.

But Warne, who died aged 52 of a suspected heart attack in Thailand, never captained Australia in a Test, mainly because of officials' concerns over his colourful private life.

Bransgrove recalled how his friend conducted himself away from cricket by saying: "Off the field, he was competitive, fun, naughty and lovable in equal measure.

"He used to say 'just because I occasionally do stupid things, it doesn't mean I'm stupid'."

At Hampshire, Warne led a side that included England batsman Kevin Pietersen.

But at the start of the 2005 season, Pietersen had still to make his Test debut and Warne publicly campaigned for the gifted South Africa-born shotmaker's inclusion in the red-ball side.

England heeded that advice and gave Pietersen his bow in an Ashes series that culminated with the batsman's audacious 158, his maiden Test century, in the hosts' series-clinching draw at the Oval -- an innings where he was dropped on