MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Shane Warne and Marlon Samuels face losing a hefty chunk of their lucrative fees for playing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 competition after a heated row in a match on Sunday night ended up with bats and balls being thrown.

The West Indies all-rounder and former Australia test spinner had a heated verbal altercation before Warne threw the ball and hit Samuels on the arm, accidentally he later claimed.

Samuels reacted by throwing his bat down the wicket in the general direction of Warne and the umpires were forced to step in to restore order.

Cricket Australia (CA) have charged Warne with four offences, including a breach of the rule that forbids throwing "the ball at or near a player or official in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner".

Samuels, who has been charged with two offences, ended up on the winning side as the Melbourne Renegades beat the Melbourne Stars to clinch a home semi-final in the Big Bash league in front of a record crowd of 46,681 at the MCG.

His evening came to a painful end, however, when he top-edged a Lasith Malinga bouncer into his own face and left the field covered in blood.

Samuels has been the subject of controversy in the competition already this season when Darren Lehmann, coach of the Brisbane Heat, questioned the legality of his bowling action.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Patrick Johnston)

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