MELBOURNE, 27 August 2003 — Shane Warne has overcome many obstacles in his high-profile career, but one of the toughest may be returning to Test cricket next year after serving a drugs ban.
One of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century, the Australian leg spinner was suspended for 12 months after testing positive for diuretics in February and he missed his team’s entire World Cup campaign.
It was the biggest doping scandal in cricket history and the earliest Warne can hope to return to the Test arena is February, when his ban ends.
Although public sympathy for the 33-year-old appears to be strong in Australia, it is by no means a formality that he will walk back into the national team.
His replacement in the Test side, leg spinner Stuart MacGill, has played well and Warne had to concede defeat last week in a long-running debate over his eligibility to train with the Australia squad.
The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) and Warne agreed he should be free to do so because of a loophole in Cricket Australia (CA) rules, as did an independent arbitrator. However, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Chairman Dick Pound said the ACA’s stance was “against the spirit of the game”, and Australia’s federal government threatened last week to withdraw more than $650,000 of funding to CA.
Prime Minister John Howard and Sports Minister Rod Kemp both said Warne, the second highest wicket-taker in Test history with 491 victims, should be banned from training with his state Victoria and Australia during his suspension.
On top of that, Test cricket’s most successful spinner has become the subject of a “phone sex” allegation for the second time in three years.
Warne refused to comment on the Aug. 10 story of a telephone “text sex” scandal involving South African woman Helen Cohen Alon but, despite the unequivocal support of his wife Simone, he has unquestionably been feeling the pressure.
Australia vice-captain Adam Gilchrist has said Warne’s expected return to Test cricket is by no means a certainty. “It is not as simple as whether we take Warnie back on,” Gilchrist told Australia television. “There are other factors involved. Stuart MacGill is in there doing a terrific job.”
Vaughan Needs More Time Says Fletcher
England coach Duncan Fletcher said Tuesday that new captain Michael Vaughan needed more time to develop his own style after their crushing loss to South Africa at Headingley. Vaughan took over from Nasser Hussain at short notice after the drawn opening Test against South Africa just over a month ago.
And the Yorkshire player’s passive approach has been blamed by some for England’s 191-run fourth Test defeat on Monday which saw South Africa take an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the five-Test series.
But Fletcher insists it is too early to judge Vaughan. “You can’t deny the fact that a change has taken place — there is a difference. People must realize that Michael is just learning and when that dressing room door is closed he speaks very well,” said Fletcher.
“He might have to work on his body language a bit out on the pitch, but all captains have different styles. There have been some great captains who have just walked around and have been very quiet men — people do the job in different ways.”
Vaughan said that he was trying to come to grips with the job. “I’m learning all the time,” he insisted. “There are bowling changes, fielding changes and chats I’ve given that maybe haven’t been right but you learn from your mistakes and I will keep learning, I’m only three games into the job so I have a long way to go.”
Kirsten Having Second Thoughts About Retirement
Meanwhile, Gary Kirsten said he was having second thoughts about retiring from Test cricket following his match-winning performance against England. Kirsten, 35, South Africa’s most-capped player who was named man-of-the-match in his 92nd Test, told reporters: “I did say this would be my last summer of international cricket. But the guys have put some heat on me.”
However, the Western Province run machine — who retired from one-day international cricket after hosts South Africa’s first round World Cup exit, earlier this year, insisted he would not be making a definitive decision soon. “I will go back to South Africa and chat to my six-month pregnant wife.”
