Former Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill has cleared the air about Shane Warne's alleged role in limiting his Test career, while speaking on the Howie Games podcast. The 54-year-old, who recently avoided jail time over a drug deal case, credits Warne for actually helping elevate leg spin bowling and creating opportunities for players like himself.MacGill, who is working to rebuild his life after recent legal troubles, shared candid insights about his relationship with the late Shane Warne. He emphasised that far from being blocked by Warne, he actually benefited from Warne's groundbreaking success in leg spin bowling.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Shane was so incredibly effective, he just didn’t bowl bad balls — I did,” MacGill said on The Howie Games.“He worked on trapping the batsmen in the crease. I worked on getting them to try and score from me.

The former spinner recalled a recent lunch with Ian Chappell, where the cricket legend observed that their contrasting styles made them potentially compatible as a bowling pair. MacGill humorously described himself as "a little parasite" feeding off Warne's success.“I had lunch with Ian Chappell recently and he said if ever there were two wrist spinners who could play together it was you two because you tried to do different things.’’

MacGill went on to joke: “I was feeding off him. I’m like a little parasite”.

In his career spanning 44 Tests with 208 wickets, MacGill played alongside Warne only 16 times. However, he harbours no regrets about being in Warne's shadow. Writing for Code Sports after Warne's death at 52, MacGill expressed it was an "absolute pleasure" to play in the same era as the Spin King.MacGill and Warne played alongside one another 16 times during the former's career of 44 Tests and 208 wickets. Despite repeated questions of what if Warne hadn't taken centre stage, MacGill holds no grudges.“Whether or not I was effective during my time in the Test team is irrelevant, in my opinion,” he said.“What is most significant is that fact that the opportunity in the first place only came about because of Shane’s effectiveness.”