Clarke would love ‘great pal’ Warne to play for Australia again

Sydney: Australia captain Michael Clarke has said he would love leg spin legend Shane Warne to come out of retirement and play Test cricket again, but does not believe that would happen.

Clarke feels that Warne would make an outstanding mentor for current spinner Nathan Lyon and they would bowl well together as a partnership. “Ever since Warnie retired, I’ve been telling him he’s still good enough (to play Test cricket). I think he would be a great mentor for Nathan and the whole team and it would be great to have Warnie and Nathan bowling together,” News.com.au quoted Clarke, as saying to an Australian paper. “I’m a great friend of Warnie’s and, as a friend, I’d love him to still be playing cricket for Australia. The Australian public would want Shane Warne playing for the next 50 years, but that’s not going to happen,” he added. However, Cricket Australia has a cast iron selection policy, which clearly says that players must compete in the Sheffield Shield before they are chosen in the Test side. Warne’s state team Victoria insists that it only selects player from club cricket, which means 43-year-old Warne would have to go back and play for St Kilda. “When I spoke to (CA chief executive) James Sutherland years ago, it was the same story. You have to play first-class cricket to make yourself available to be selected for Australia,” Clarke said. “I`ve asked him to come out of retirement a number of times. But there is a process that comes with coming out of retirement and he wouldn`t be able to come out of retirement and walk straight back into the Australian team. He`d have to go and play some state games for Victoria,” he added. “I`ve had the conversation with the Cricket Australia CEO a number of times over the past five years and the plan hasn`t changed. I think he would be unbelievable if he decided to come out and play,” he said. ANI