March 21, 2003	Friday	Muharram 17, 1424

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MELBOURNE, March 20: The Australian Cricket Board is reluctant to let Shane Warne play for an English social side during his doping suspension.

But the board stressed on Thursday it was yet to see details of the proposal for Warne to sign with the Lashings club.

It is understood Warne will argue he would play for charity, not a paid contract.

Lashings, which bills itself “the Harlem Globetrotters of cricket”, confirmed on Wednesday it was trying to sign Warne and former Zimbabwean paceman Henry Olonga.

Lashings is a social side which pays good money to attract top international cricketers.

But the ACB must first decide what Warne can do during his 12-month ban for taking banned diuretics, which ends on Feb 10 next year.

“Regardless of what cricket is proposed, whether it’s official or unofficial, we need to see it before it can be approved under the terms of Warne’s playing contract,” ACB public affairs manager Peter Young said here on Thursday.

“On the face of it, a privately-owned club does not seem appropriate, but we haven’t seen the details.”—AFP