ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan 25 - Australia captain Steve Waugh has apologised to Steve Elworthy for an insensitive comment after the South Africa fast bowler was taken to hospital for a brain scan.

When informed that the scan had not found any injury, Waugh was reported to have told an Australian cricket official: “I bet they didn’t find a brain either.”

Waugh told a media conference Friday media reports about the incident inaccurate but said he had apologised to Elworthy in person to ensure there was no misunderstanding.

“The quote wasn’t a correct quote, there were words in it that I did not say,” Waugh said. “It was a private conversation and wasn’t meant to be heard by anyone else, it wasn’t meant to be offensive, it obviously has been seen that way but the words were not the words that I said.”

Elworthy was taken to hospital for a scan after being struck on the helmet by a sharp delivery from Glenn McGrath during a one-day international in Sydney Tuesday.—Reuters