Cyclist to sue Warne after road rage

Melbourne: Shane Warne was facing legal action on Tuesday after a cyclist involved in a road rage incident with the Australian cricket great said he plans to sue for damages to his bike.

Web designer Mathew Hollingsworth, 28, is launching a civil claim in the Melbourne Magistrates Court seeking AUD 1,575 (USD 1,668) for repairs to his hi-tech bicycle plus damages, interest and costs, the Herald Sun reported.

Hollingsworth alleges Warne drove his sports car into him after a robust exchange of words in peak-hour traffic in Melbourne on January 17. The newspaper said that in a statutory declaration, Hollingsworth claimed Warne lurched his car forward striking him on the leg.

Shane Warne faces a civil claim by web designer Mathew Hollingsworth in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

"Once I was on the footpath, a young brunette woman in business clothing approached me offering assistance and asked, 'Are you okay? Are you going to follow it up? I have the rego (registration)," he said in the declaration. "I said, 'No, it should be okay. It was Shane Warne.' She seemed as surprised as me."

Warne has denied any wrongdoing, using a series of tweets on the evening of the incident to detail his version of events and lash out at "antagonistic" cyclists.

The spin king claimed a cyclist grabbed onto the back of his car as he headed home from a training session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Then at a change of traffic lights, he alleged the man rode past and hit the bonnet with his hand. He said the bike rider then pulled up in front of his car, halting traffic, and abused him.

Warne, 42, is one of Australia's greatest cricketers and has come out of retirement to play with the Melbourne Stars in Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash League.

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