Australian Sports Entertainment

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Nobody calls Shane Warne's tattoo bluff - The Daily Telegraph - 21st January 2009

He has never been one to shy away from a grand entrance and it was no different yesterday when Shane Warne waltzed into Crown Casino in Melbourne sporting what appeared to be a brand new arm-length tattoo.

Smiling broadly as he walked into a press conference for the Aussie Millions Poker Championship - which he is competing in this week - Warne asked reporters if they liked his new ink.

He then rolled down the fake tattoo sleeve and pulled it from his arm.

"Gotcha, didn't I?" the spin king laughed.

Well, perhaps there could have been one member of the audience who had never before seen the joke tattoo sleeves (pictured) - though that seems doubtful.

Warne went on to explain he was wearing the sleeve to take the mickey out of current Aussie cricket star Michael Clarke, who last month hit the headlines with a huge new tattoo.

Clarke's elaborate piece of body art depicts a guardian angel sitting on a cross, with the initials of his fiancee Lara Bingle emblazoned at the top.

For Warne, the new addition to Clarke's body was the perfect opportunity for a bit of fun with a former teammate.

"I keep taking photos and sending them to Michael," Warne said.

The cricket legend-turned-poker pro will be among 850 players vying for a first prize of $2 million in the Aussie Millions tournament.

And just to add to the "has-been" feel of the event, Warne yesterday posed for photographs with fellow poker fans and former sports stars Jeff Fenech and Mark Philippoussis. (Credit: The Daily Telegraph)

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