MELBOURNE, Feb 20: Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne was recalled to his country's Test squad here on Friday for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka following his return to cricket from a drugs ban.

Warne, whose one-year drug suspension for using a banned diuretic ended 11 days ago, was selected in a 15-man squad. The 34-year-old superstar played the last of his 107 Tests against England in Perth in December 2002 before failing a dope test before the start of World Cup in southern Africa a year ago that earned him a 12-month suspension.

Warne has bowled well in three matches since his return and with turning pitches expected in Sri Lanka, is poised to add to his 491 wickets. He will also get the chance to go head-to-head with Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (485) in the race to the 500-wicket mark.

Fellow leg-spinner Stuart MacGill was selected after an excellent 2003, in which he finished second on the list of world Test wicket-takers, with 57 scalps.

MacGill's selection means he and Warne could play in the same Test side for the first time since January 2002, in the third Test against South Africa in Sydney.

Darren Lehmann, 34, was selected on his excellent recent form for Australia, with three centuries in his past six Tests. Andrew Symonds also gets his chance after a brilliant year in the one-day game and could come into Test calculations given his ability to bowl both medium pace and right-arm off-spin.

Symonds and Queensland wicket-keeper Wade Seccombe are the only uncapped members of the squad. The first of the three Tests against Sri Lanka will be played in Galle, starting March 8.

Squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Michael Kasprowicz, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Stuart MacGill, Damien Martyn, Wade Seccombe, Andrew Symonds, Brad Williams, Shane Warne. -AFP