Back home, Warne puts on brave face

Back home, Warne puts on brave face
Robert Smith

Melbourne, August 7: Shane Warne still harbours hopes of captaining the Australian cricket team despite being stripped of the vice captaincy last week. Warne returned home Monday from his stint with English county Hampshire promising to cop the Australian Cricket Board's decision on the chin.

Australia's all-time leading Test wickettaker stressed he felt no bitterness toward new vice captain Adam Gilchrist and pledged his loyalty to skipper Steve Waugh and Gilchrist.

However, he will not give up his ambition to one day follow Waugh as captain of Australia, despite the black marks against his name for off-field incidents, which finally brought about his demotion. "That is probably up to the board of directors," Warne said. "The selectors will make their recommendation whenever it may be, whether it's two or three years down the track."

Australian Cricket Board chairman Denis Rogers did say "the door wasn't closed, we'll have to wait and see."

The leg spinner said he was still bemused by the latest controversy which ultimately cost him the vice captaincy. His "dirty" phone calls to the answering machine of a woman he met in an English nightclub were reproduced in a tabloid newspaper. While he did not think he had been careless in his dealings with the woman, he reluctantly accepted an international cricketer's private life could have a bearing on his playing career. "Part of being an international cricketer these days, which is probably a little bit unfortunate, is everything you do these days (is scrutinised) ... I suppose the precedent has been set now," he said.

But Warne said his record of commitment to the national team was faultless and would continue. "Adam Gilchrist and Steve Waugh have my full support, which whoever has been leading the side always has had," he said."We're teammates, I've got no hard feelings against Gilly whatsoever and I would be disappointed if anyone said that at all. The people who do know me, know what I'm all about and know how I play the game."

Warne said he was looking forward to resuming his international career here next week, when Waugh and Gilchrist lead Australia in the one-day series against South Africa at Colonial Stadium. "I'm returning home a little bit disappointed losing the vice captaincy ... I've had a lot of disappointments in my life, by the same token, I've had a lot of great things happen to my life," he said. "It's part of life, isn't it -- copping it on the chin and getting on with it."