Warne's first-class return to be restricted to one-dayer

MELBOURNE - Shane Warne's long-awaited return to interstate cricket looks likely to be restricted to a Mercantile Mutual Cup match against Western Australia next Tuesday.

Australia's greatest Test wicket-taker appears a certain starter for that match after getting through a solid one-hour workout for Victoria in the MCG nets today, as his former national teammates went about batting the West Indies out of contention in the Boxing Day Test inside the ground.

However, Warne is by no means a certain starter for Victoria's Pura Cup match against the Warriors, which begins on January 4.

And the same goes for another former Test bowler Damien Fleming, who is on the comeback trail following finger and neck injuries.

Warne troubled the bulk of Victoria's batsman during his workout today and generated considerable turn, even though he was again bowling off a shortened run-up.

"I was very excited by today," Warne said.

"I thought the ball came out really well."

"I was spinning them and the wicket was not spinner-friendly."

However, the champion leg spinner was guarded about when he would return to first-class cricket after breaking the spinning finger on his right hand against New South Wales in October.

"As I said all along, I'm not going to come back and play until I think I'm 100 per cent right," he said.

"Everything is fine but with no match practice, sometimes you need that to get your rhythm right.

"At this stage, I suppose it's just the one one-day game but if I pull up well tomorrow morning, and give it another workout on the weekend, then who knows."

Fleming expressed similar sentiments after coming through his own solid work-out.

"We've got the one-dayer before the shield game so that's good," he said.

"I will then wait and see how I feel after that before I make a decision on the four-dayer."

Both players are desperate to play in the four-day game knowing it is the Vics' last first-class match before the Australian squad to tour India is named.

However, with the Vics in second place on the Pura Cup table, and with a genuine chance to win domestic cricket's biggest prize for the first time in a decade, state selectors will be reluctant to play anyone with a fitness query hanging over him for the clash against the third-placed Warriors.

Victorian coach John Scholes said a final decision on Warne and Fleming's availability would be made after Saturday's MCG training session but indicated the pair were more likely to play in the one-dayer only.

The Vics are virtually already out of contention in that competition, with only one win from four games, making it the ideal vehicle to gauge Warne and Fleming's fitness under match conditions.