Warne could return to ODIs, says Ponting

Shane Warne announced his retirement from one-day cricket two years ago, but if the words of his captain and vice-captain are anything to go by, a return to ODIs may well be imminent for him. After a successful performance for the World XI in the charity game on January 10, both Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist believe that Warne could be in the reckoning for the 2007 World Cup.

"If I was a betting man, would I think he's any chance for the World Cup? It would probably be a toss of the coin thing at the moment," Ponting said in a news conference at the MCG on the eve of the VB Series. "Shane would love to play in the World Cup. [But] Shane's always got it in the back of his mind about what sort of effect playing one-day cricket could have on his Test career."

Ponting also suggested that the progress of the younger spinners, most notably Nathan Hauritz and Cameron White, could be a factor in Warne's attempted comeback. "If those guys don't come along as we would like, I think Shane would consider it more," Ponting said. "It's extremely tempting for him. After Monday night's game, he loved being back out there again and playing one-day cricket. I know he is thinking about it." Warne struck with his second ball in that game, and ended with figures of 2 for 27 from seven overs.

Gilchrist too was upbeat about Warne chances: "I'm sure it's a definite option and Warney is to-ing and fro-ing in his mind. I'm certain Warney is still good enough to be very, very successful in one-day cricket."

Warne himself had spoken about a possible return to ODIs immediately after the charity match. "I definitely enjoyed it," he told ABC Online. "It's something I speak to Ricky about a fair bit and chat about it, but at this stage I'm still retired. But I do enjoy playing it and who knows, down the track, you never know."