SHANE Warne has talked privately with Australia captain Ricky Ponting about ending his limited-overs retirement for the World Cup.
National coach John Buchanan yesterday told The Sun-Herald from the Bangladeshi city of Fatullah that Warne had spoken to him, Ponting and Australia's selectors about making a comeback before the tournament in the Caribbean next year. Buchanan urged the peerless leg spinner to decide as soon as possible.
Cricket Australia issues its player contracts this week. The size of each player's six-figure deal is determined by whether they play both Tests and one-dayers.
CA will want to know Warne's plans before deciding how much to pay him.
"Ricky, myself and [chairman of selectors] Andrew Hilditch have all had discussions with Shane about the World Cup," Buchanan 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. And then the selectors will have some decisions on their plate from there. Shane spoke to us in South Africa, and then again in Bangladesh.
"There are a lot of considerations for him, mainly in terms of the 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 retired from one-dayers at the last World Cup. What should have been a triumphant departure became a nightmare when he was suspended on the eve of the tournament for failing a drugs test. He flew home before a ball was bowled.
Australia's next one-day tournament is the Champions Trophy in India in October. The grand plan is for the world champions, who have been running auditions for places over the past six months, to play their best squad from the Champions Trophy right through to the World Cup.
"We're pretty sure about a core group of people now," Buchanan said.
"Things have moved forward. We've been able to see what depth we have with some changes in the team, forced or otherwise. A fair bit of planning and thinking will be done during this break period. The next tournament will be the beginning, if you like, of the competitive phase leading into the World Cup."
Australia's bowling attack in the final one-dayer against Bangladesh was led by Mitchell Johnson, Brett Dorey, James Hopes, Dan Cullen and Mark Cosgrove. Such an experimental line-up won't be seen again as preparations for the cup gain momentum.
Australia's elite list of 25 contracted players will offer few surprises. NSW batsman Phil Jaques and speedster Stuart Clark will earn upgraded deals. Cosgrove, a bolter to be Adam Gilchrist's full-time opening partner, and Johnson are likely to be included for the first time after being eased into the national fold.
The bigger winner in the money will be Mike Hussey. Having become the backbone of the Test and one-day teams, his pockets are about to be lined with gold. Or about $500,000. Only Ponting and vice-captain Gilchrist will receive bigger contracts.
