Warne relishes return against England for Test finale

Warne, 29, has been out for most of the year because of surgery on his shoulder but will return Saturday on the Sydney Cricket Ground wicket ideally suited to his leg-spin.

England were jubilant after winning the fourth Test in Melbourne on Tuesday, but at a packed press conference, Warne did not let the opportunity slip to remind England of their fear of spin.

``Over the last five or six years playing against England they have had a weakness against legspin,'' he said.

``If you look at the statistics I would say that England don't play leggies that well.''

The Australian has been the scourge of England batsmen since he took 34 series wickets on the 1993 Ashes tour.

In 17 Tests against England, Warne has snared 85 wickets at 23.56, with four hauls of five wickets and one of 10 wickets in a match.

``It's nice to have the wood on certain players, or a certain team, but every Test match is different, depending on the conditions.

``Obviously the track record in Sydney suggests that the wicket is going to turn, and we'll have to wait to see how far it turns when we get up there=2E

``But I'm sure they will come out with a point to prove, they're on a roll after winning yesterday, their tails are up and maybe they might come out to attack us in the next Test match.''

Warne, who has taken 313 wickets in 67 Tests, has not played for Australia since the third Test against India in Bangalore in March. He had a career-saving operation in April on his bowling shoulder.

Warne said he was keen to return to big-time cricket.

``To a certain extent I feel I am starting my career again, my life has been like a soap opera, like a drama the last six months, this year hasn't been one of the best, but I'm now ready to play Test cricket again.''

He declared himself ready to return to international cricket after this month's Sheffield Shield match for Victoria against New South Wales in Sydney.

Warne's recall at the expense of paceman Matthew Nicholson from the side which collapsed to a 12-run defeat to England in Melbourne, opens the tantalising prospect of a legspin tandem between Warne and Stuart Macgill=2E

Macgill has taken 15 wickets in three Tests against England in this series.

``We are different types of legspinners, Stuart has had a pretty good series against England and I've done pretty well against England over the years and hopefully can keep the wood on them in this next Test,'' he said.

``The difference between us is how the ball gets to a certain part on the pitch and obviously our lines, he bowls offstump and wide and I basically bowl more legstump to make the batsman try and hit across the line.

``They are both different methods and in his short career it has been working for him, and hopefully that can continue and hopefully the stuff I've been bowling over a long time will work as well.''

Warne said he had learnt to be patient while recuperating from his surgery.

``The whole eight or nine months I've been out, it's basically been get your shoulder right and take as long as you need,'' Warne said.

``Through the whole thing I've been pretty patient with it, I haven't rushed it and basically after the New South Wales Sheffield Shield game I thought bowled really well, back to the old stuff, and I wanted to wait and see how I pulled up.

``I bowled 57 or 58 overs and I kept my fingers crossed when I went to sleep and I pulled up really well.

``So from then on it's been making sure I've been doing the right things and telling the selectors and (captain) Mark Taylor that I was ready.''