A day later, it is Shane Warne's turn to express doubts about his participation. The ace leg spinner said in Sydney Tuesday that he would test his injured spinning finger during the training camp later this week, before deciding whether or not to make the tour.
Interestingly, the Australian Cricket Board officials are yet to officially confirm the side's participation in the four- nation one-day contest in Sri Lanka, but indications look as though the ACB will decide to send its team after all. ``We do look forward to making the tour, and Friday we hope to make a positive decision,'' said ACB chief Graham Halbish.
Australia has been playing hide and go seek with Sri Lanka ever since it refused to play its World Cup engagements in Colombo cit- ing security considerations. The boycott came after an acrimonious tour by Lanka of Australia a month earlier, in course of which the tourists were first accused, then cleared of ball tampering and then found ace spinner Mutthiah Muralitharan called for chucking.
The two incidents, coupled with the World Cup boycott, so angered Lanka that skipper Arjuna Ranatunga was to say, after beating Aus- tralia in the final of the World Cup, that his boys were motivated by a spirit of revenge.
A while later, Australia rubbed it in further when it reneged on a previous commitment, to play two Tests in Sri Lanka before teh Singer Cup. Again, security concerns were cited as the reason. The ACB indicated at the time that it would however like to play the Singer Cup, but would take a firm decision after asessing the secu- rity situation in the island further.
A final decision is expected this Friday.
Warne's chances of touring Lanka meanwhile depend on how his spinner finger responds to a stint in the nets, during the training camp scheduled for Brisbane later this week. The ace leggie re- quired cortisone injections last season and, in late May, had sur- gery on the knuckle of the fourth finger of his right hand.
Shane Warne, who skippers Victoria in the Sheffield Shield tournament, has also been having problems with a sore shoulder, and the Aussie board's thinking is that it cannot risk losing his services with a five Test series against the West Indies scheduled for November.
When the ACB meets on Friday, it is expected not only to give the final okay for the tour of Lanka, but also name the captain and vice captain of the side. It is widely expected that Mark Taylor's deputy, wicketkeeper Ian Healy, will lead the side with veteran all- rounder Steve Waugh as his deputy.