Hampshire facing a part-time Warne

Shane Warne's future with Hampshire is again in the spotlight amid reports that his other commitments - to poker and the Indian Premier League - might mean that he is available for less than half the summer.

Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire's chairman, remains determined to keep Warne, who is still captain, as a Hampshire player despite the increased absences. "Warne has been fantastic for this club, which is why I will be seeing him at the end of the week to see what we can thrash out," he told The Guardian. The pair are set to hold more talks in the next few days.

Hampshire's director of cricket, Tim Tremlett, told the paper that the county could not afford to allow another top player to walk away. "We have lost Darren Powell and Stuart Clark from last season, while Mitchell Stokes has left the staff. Sean Ervine remains our only Kolpak player ... Nic Pothas qualifies for England at the start of the season ... and we don't want to go further down that road."