Spin legend Shane Warne has branded Cricket Australia "muppets" and called its policy of rotating players "absolute rubbish" following Australia's T20 series defeat by Sri Lanka.The outspoken Warne vented his anger on Twitter in his latest run-in with the CA, which has attracted stinging criticism from other greats of the game for rotating players in a bid to reduce injuries. The spin-bowling maestro appeared to single out ex-Wallaby rugby star Pat Howard, CA's high-performance chief, who oversees the controversial rotation policy. Warne, 43, a friend of Test and one-day captain Michael Clarke, complained late Monday that sports fans were being deprived of seeing the world's leading batsman in action. "I think CA really need to look at the people who are making decisions on all facets of cricket in Australia, we r seriously becoming a joke!" Warne said.

"Absolute rubbish re selections, rotations, resting & farcical decisions on matches, joke.. Dudding (cheating) the public & to(o) many excuses.. Wake up CA. "Can CA please put current cricket people in charge to run the game, select teams, not ex rugby or any other sports people plse, seriously. "We have the best batsmen / captain in the world in @MClarke23 (Michael Clarke) - He needs current cricket people to help him out not muppets." Retired players have queued up over the Australian summer to attack the repeated rotation of players. Former skipper Ian Chappell charged CA with creating "more confusion than an algebra test".

Sri Lanka won the first T20 match by five wickets in Sydney on Saturday, and won again at the MCG late Monday off the last ball of the match under the Duckworth-Lewis method. Australia drew the one-day series with Sri Lanka 2-2, resting Clarke for the first two games, after sweeping the Tests 3-0.
Warne was last week fined Aus$5,000 (US$5,250) for a code of behaviour breach in the domestic Big Bash League. And he apologised earlier this month after a foul-mouthed rant against West Indian all-rounder Marlon Samuels that earned him a ban and a Aus$4,500 fine.

Warne claimed 708 Test wickets in a celebrated career that also courted controversy, including a fine for taking money from a bookmaker. He was sent home from the 2003 World Cup for taking a banned diuretic.Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland has defended the organisation following a scathing attack aimed at them by spin great Shane Warne, who panned the board in a series of Twitter rants.Sutherland added that he was prepared to meet with Warne and discuss the 43-year-old's criticism of CA's player rotation policy and his claim that "rubbish" decisions were turning Australian cricket into a "big joke".

After venting his initial anger on Monday, Warne reiterated his views a day later. "As I said last night we need cricket people running the team & who understand cricket & what's required at the top level, not muppets," he tweeted on Tuesday.Warne questioned the logic of having former rugby union international Pat Howard as the board's high performance manager but Sutherland threw his weight behind the former Wallaby back. "I have every confidence in Pat Howard and his team, and what they're doing," Sutherland told local media on Tuesday.

"Personally I find it a little bit disappointing to read about that (Warne's criticisms) in the fashion that I have. Ideally you'd like to be able to sit down with Shane and understand a little bit more deeply his opinions." Australia won all three Tests in a recent series against Sri Lanka but were held 2-2 in the subsequent one-day internationals after resting skipper Michael Clarke for the first two matches.The hosts, however, lost both Twenty20 internationals and were left debating the merits of a controversial rotation policy CA has introduced to manage injuries and the workload of their frontline players.
While Warne insisted Australia needed to field their best 11 players every time they stepped out, fast bowling great Dennis Lillee has backed CA's approach.

"He's 100 percent in agreement with the selection panel with managing the load and development of players," Sutherland said of Lillee, who captured 355 wickets in 70 Tests.Who's right here? You've got Shane Warne saying one thing, Dennis Lillee saying another. It's not a black and white issue."