Warne refuses to discount return
Australia legend Shane Warne has landed in London and is remaining coy over speculation he could make a sensational Test comeback.
The 41-year-old former leg-spinner, with 708 Test wickets to his name, retired after Australia's 5-0 whitewash of England in the 2006/07 Ashes series, but calls have grown for him to make a short-term return to the international game following his country's dismal start to the current series.
He has now arrived in England for some promotional duties and posted on his Twitter account upon his arrival: "Just landed in London, it's freezing and was welcomed by press and photographers asking am I making a comeback? What have I missed ???"
Earlier in the day, the Victorian had used his column in the Daily Telegraph to acknowledge the speculation that was mounting, particularly in Australia, where Sydney Morning Herald writer Peter FitzSimons had called for him to replace under-fire Ricky Ponting as captain.
"There has been a bit written in Australia and people have been asking me about making a comeback," Warne said. "All I can say is that it is very flattering to hear those words."
Some bookmakers are offering odds as short as 6-1 that Warne will play in at least one of the remaining three tests, while in his homeland, fans have launched the website www.bringbackwarne.com, to which fans can make donations, all of which will be paid to Warne should he play. The current total stands at AUS dollars 3791.
Darren Lehmann, one of Warne's friends and former team-mates also added in the Herald Sun: "He would have to be fit obviously but he's a genius, he could do anything."
Ahead of Australia's losing 2009 Ashes series in England, Warne had suggested he would be willing to answer an SOS call from Ponting, saying: "If Australia really needed me and there was no-one else around and Ricky thought I could do the job, you would weigh up the options.
"If there were no other spinners around and Ricky came out and said 'Mate, can you please help us out for this one-off tour, we need you' that is something I would weigh up."
Ex-England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is hoping his former opponent decides to play again, and also told the Herald Sun: "I'd love to see Warnie play again, it would be unbelievable."
