Warne can expect plentiful sledging

Terry Jenner, Shane Warne's coach and confidant, has predicted that the English won't hesitate to employ mental-disintegration tactics against him during the Ashes series. Warne himself has been a big sledger in his time, best illustrated by his run-ins with Daryll Cullinan, but Jenner reckons that what goes around will come around over the next two months.

"They'll sledge him and so they should," said Jenner, quoted in The Sun-Herald. "They're within their rights to. What would Australia do in the same situation? They would try a bit of what Steve Waugh called mental disintegration. It shouldn't come as any great surprise and Shane will be expecting it. Good players handle it.

"It'll be a tough time for Shane because there will be some mental disintegration, as we like to call it, and the crowd will have a go at him and the media will stay on his back. He knows it's coming. He'll cop it sweet."

However, Jenner had little doubt that such small talk would have precious little impact opn Warne, who has taken 132 wickets in 26 Tests against England dating back to 1993. "Shane will take whatever they throw at him and try to keep moving forward," he said. "England worry about him more than any other Australian bowler and if he starts taking wickets against them again, they'll go quiet pretty quickly."

Warne's turbulent career, with more than its share of scandal and controversy, was rocked again last month by the news that he had separated from his wife, but Jenner insisted that if anyone could get over such a blip, it would be Warne. "He's had turmoil before and has always [performed] on the field," he said. "Something like being sledged is out of his control. What he can control is how he bowls.

"I'm hopeful we will see vintage Shane Warne moving towards 600 Test wickets. It's another challenge for Shane. When he puts on a baggy green cap, he's almost indestructible."