Warne faces training ban

Little has gone right for Shane Warne in recent weeks, and now it seems that he might be banned from training with Victoria after the federal government appeared to apply pressure on Cricket Australia (CA) to take action.

Although he is serving a 12-month ban suspension following his failed drugs test, Warne has been training with his state and club sides in the belief that while he is barred from actually playing, that doesn't extend to off-the-field activities. Now the government-funded Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has said that this is in breach of the terms of the ban. Officials from the Australian board will meet with the ASC next week.

Warne's brother and manager Jason said he was very disappointed at the government's advice. "It's something we have to look into," he explained, "because it conflicts with the information we've had over the last few months."

James Sutherland, chief executive of CA, said that his belief was that Warne was clear to train. "Our own interpretation has been that training can be permissible in certain circumstances, such as when a suspended player is giving rather than receiving help, as long as there is no material assistance such as travel, accommodation or provision of equipment," he said in a statement. "[We] have ... a determination that there is no place for doping in cricket, but implementation of this ideal needs discussion."

Tim May, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers' Association, sought clarification from Sutherland yesterday on Warne's status, after Sutherland was quoted as saying he was "not comfortable" with the prospect of Warne training publicly in Australian squad workouts.

An arbitration case last month cleared Warne to play in charity matches during his suspension, and his advisers will examine that ruling to see if it also covers training.

Given that CA receives federal government funding for game development, it is unlikely to take on the ASC if next week's meeting does not change the advice.