|
|
|
| December 9, 2003 | Tuesday | Shawwal 14, 1424 |
Warne set for Sri Lanka return
BRISBANE, Dec 8: Disgraced leg-spinner Shane Warne may return for Australia in their three-Test series in Sri Lanka next March, chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns hinted here on Monday.
Waugh’s 12-month suspension for taking a banned diuretic ends on Feb 10, just before the Australian team heads off for a five-match one-day international series in Sri Lanka in late February.
Warne won’t be available for selection in the one-day team but, with the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle not starting until March 8, he has time to state his case for selection in a four-day Sheffield Shield game for Victoria against Western Australia from Feb 16.
Hohns said the selection decision over Warne will be difficult.
“Everyone expects Shane to come back and bowl well and I would have thought you wouldn’t just lose that ability in 12 months,” Hohns said in an interview on Channel Nine on Monday.
The Test squad to play Sri Lanka is likely to be named around March 1.
“As far as regaining his position in the Australia side ... there’s a period of time there before we pick the Test match side to go to Sri Lanka where Shane will have the chance to play a couple of games for Victoria,” Hohns said.
“Then we have to make the assessment whether he’s bowling well enough to be included in that squad and of course we’ve also got Stuart MacGill, who is performing very, very well for Australia. It’s a very difficult thing.”
Hohns said he speaks to Warne regularly and the second all-time leading Test wicket-taker with 491 understood the situation.
Meanwhile, Hohns said the selectors were happy with the way Australian Test captain Steve Waugh had announced his retirement and didn’t think the Waugh farewell tour would be a distraction for the team through the southern summer.
“I think our Australian team is quite capable of handling any distraction thrown at them,’ Hohns said.
“We think Steve Waugh, being one of the all-time great players, should have that opportunity and the Australian public should have the opportunity to say thanks for all he’s done for Australian cricket.”—AFP
|
|
|
|
