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| May 2, 2006 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1427 |
Warne considering ODI comeback
SYDNEY, May 1: Ace leg-spinner Shane Warne has had talks with Australia over a possible return to one-day cricket ahead of next year's World Cup in the West Indies.
Coach John Buchanan confirmed Warne had met Ricky Ponting and chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch.
He said: “There needs to be commitment or otherwise from him. Either he makes himself available in terms of the team moving forward with its plans, or not.”
Warne retired in 2003 from one-day cricket to prolong his Test career.
But with the World Cup in West Indies less than a year away Warne, who missed the 2003 tournament because of a drugs ban, is pondering playing the shorter form of the game once again.
Warne said: “It would be nice I suppose to play in the World Cup, but it depends on what I want to do with my Test future.”
Buchanan and Ponting said Warne had to let them know his intentions sooner rather than later so they can implement him in the planning.
“The selectors will have some decisions on their plate from there.
Shane spoke to us in South Africa, and then again in Bangladesh,” said Buchanan.
“There are a lot of considerations for him, mainly in terms of longevity of his career. He needs to come to a conclusion. With the contract meetings coming up, I imagine it will be one of the topics for discussion.”
Warne is most successful Test bowler ever with 685 wickets. He has also played in 194 One-day Internationals, where he has taken 293 scalps.
Meanwhile, despite Cricket Australia assuring ICC that it would send its strongest team to Champions Trophy later this year, Ponting has asked pace spearhead Glenn McGrath skip the tournament and play some county cricket to prepare for the Ashes.
“McGrath would be better off missing Champions Trophy and he might be better served by getting some work in county cricket before Australian summer,” Ponting said after returning from tour of Bangladesh.
McGrath missed tours of South Africa and Bangladesh to be with his ailing wife who is battling a recurrence of breast cancer.
CA earlier said ICC events were its topmost priority and they would send best side to limited overs tournament to be held in India in October-November.—Agencies
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