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| February 25, 2003 | Tuesday | Zul Hijjah 23, 1423 |
Hauritz replaces Warne
MELBOURNE, Feb 24: Off-spinner Nathan Hauritz will replace suspended leg-spinner Shane Warne in Australia’s 15-man squad at the World Cup, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Monday.
“Nathan Hauritz will join the Australian squad on Tuesday upon their return to South Africa from (the Group ‘A’ match against Zimbabwe in) Bulawayo,” ACB spokesman Peter Young said.
The 21-year-old Queenslander has taken seven wickets in five One-day Internationals after making his debut against South Africa in Johannesburg 11 months ago.
“He has taken 14 wickets in the (Australian interstate one-day series) this season and was recently named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year,” Young said.
Warne was banned for 12 months on Saturday under the ACB’s anti-doping policy in the biggest doping scandal to hit cricket.
The 33-year-old took a fluid-reducing pill last month which contained two banned diuretics. Diuretics can be used as masking agents for other drugs.
Warne’s ban is effective from Feb 10 2003 although the player named as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century said on Saturday he planned to lodge a written appeal this week.
Meanwhile, Warne won’t be making a return to the World Cup via a television commentary team, Australia’s Nine Network said on Monday.
Warne faces the loss of at least $1.5 million (US$900,000) in cricket earnings from his 12-month drug ban, sources said.
A Nine spokesman said no decision had been made about Warne’s future at the network in the wake of his ban.
“Certainly he wouldn’t be commentating on the World Cup,” he said.
“We are only taking the host broadcaster’s coverage and we have four commentators working as part of the pool team for the whole event, so he would not be involved in that.
“As to whether in the current domestic season or the next twelve months, there’s really been no decision made and it hasn’t been discussed.”
ACB chief executive James Sutherland said on Monday he was not sure whether Warne, an ACB employee, would be allowed to commentate while suspended.
“That is part of the challenge for us. If Australian cricket wants Shane Warne to be part of its future in some ways we need to help him prepare for the future,” Sutherland told Australian Associated Press on Monday.
“At the same time he has breached policy. We will have a bit of think about it and we have time to do that.
“We will work through it separately from Shane and then with Shane later on.
“If it’s something the commentary team wanted to talk to us about we would discuss it.”
The Nine Network’s cricket commentary team is stacked with ex-cricketers — Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell, Bill Lawry, Tony Greig, Mark Taylor and Ian Healy.—Reuters/AFP
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