MELBOURNE, Australia, Aug 19: Australian cricketer Shane Warne, buried under sexual harassment allegations, made a surprise return to training on Tuesday.

Warne, who has kept out of the public eye since allegations began surfacing as to his alleged sexual misconduct over a week ago, appeared at the Victorian state team practice at the invitation of coach David Hookes and bowled to some of his younger teammates in the nets.

But the 33-year-old champion leg spinner declined to speak afterwards to the media. “It’s a private matter - I’ve got nothing more to say,” he said.

South African national Helen Cohen Alon has claimed she was offered 200,000 rand (US$28,000) in a string of threatening phone calls and text messages by an associate of Warne to keep quiet about their relationship.—AFP