Cullen a 'definite' for Australia

Shane Warne believes Dan Cullen, the South Australia offspinner, "has all the toys" and is a certainty to play for Australia. The country's back-up options behind Warne and Stuart MacGill have been a regular concern but Warne has played against Cullen and was impressed.

"The general word around first-class cricketers is that he is a real good bowler," Warne said in The Courier-Mail. "I faced him last year, he has all the toys, he is young and he has got a bit of fire about him."

Warne has spent some time with Cullen, who is 21 and has taken 61 first-class wickets, and he predicted an international future. "He will definitely play for Australia," he said. "It is just a matter of when. It is good to see we have a genuine off-spinner."

Australia have experimented with the part-time slow men Andrew Symonds, Colin Miller and Mark Waugh while Nathan Hauritz has played one Test, but their last regular specialist was Tim May. May, who took 75 Test wickets, formed a successful partnership with Warne before retiring in 1995.