Warne loses weight to tackle Proteas

Shane Warne has lost 4kg in three weeks to make sure he is ready for the back-to-back South Africa and Bangladesh Test tours. Warne's retirement from one-day internationals has allowed him to undertake a fierce fitness drive and he is prepared for his role as Australia's main strike bowler following Glenn McGrath's withdrawal.

"I am down to 87kg, I have been doing a lot of fitness stuff," Warne said in The Courier-Mail. "I was trying to stay under 90kg [through the summer] but I have worked pretty hard in the past three weeks and I am pretty fit."

Warne warmed up for one of his favourite tours with career-best figures of 7 for 100 for Victoria in the Pura Cup match against Queensland last week. "Although I am coming off a long stint - 60-odd overs for Victoria - I feel pretty fresh," he said.

The South Africans believe they played Warne better during the Test series in December and January, but Warne will enter the three-match contest with 46 wickets at 24.03 in the country. "I am looking forward to getting over there and dominating South Africa like every time we have been there," he said.

Warne told the paper his opponents still had a lot to prove in the Test arena. "They have fought back at the start of the one-day series," he said. "Whether they can sustain that pressure, or sustain that form in the one-dayers, we'll have to wait and see."

Admitting the absence of McGrath would make Australia's task harder, Warne said he hoped the attack could bowl in partnerships and uncover some old wounds. "I have got a lot of stuff on their players which I exploited through the series which I am sure I can do again," he said. The first Test starts at Cape Town next Thursday.