Warne gives thumbs-up to hopes of early return

Shane Warne hopes he will be able to make an early comeback from his thumb injury, in time for the two-Test series against New Zealand which starts at Brisbane on November 18.

Warne, 35, missed the fourth Test against India at Mumbai after fracturing his right thumb in two places in a net session the afternoon before the match. But he is now confident of making an early return for the first Test at Brisbane.

"I'd say I'm a 50-50 chance for the first Test," Warne told reporters at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport after flying home. "If it heals quickly over the next couple of weeks, it should be fine."

But Errol Alcott, the Australian team's physio, was less optimistic about Warne's chances of an early return. Alcott said the injury could take a month to heal, which would rule him out of both Tests.

The selectors would then be faced with the choice of retaining the offspinner Nathan Hauritz, who deputised for Warne in the fourth Test and took three wickets in the first innings, or calling back Warne's fellow legspinner Stuart MacGill. Cameron White, Warne's understudy on the Indian tour, is viewed as a batsman who bowls, rather than a front-line spin option.