Shane Warne to fly home after the Third Test

Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from Manchester

Monday 07, July 1997


MANCHESTER (Sunday) - Australian spin wizard Shane Warne is to fly home at the end of the current third Ashes Test against England at Old Trafford here to join his wife Simone, who gave birth to the couple's first child ten days ago.

Warne celebrated the arrival of his baby daughter Brooke by taking six England wickets for 48 runs to become the most prolific leg_spinner in test history, surpassing another former Australian Richie Benaud's record of 248 wickets.

The 27_year_old spinner followed his exploits with the ball on Friday by scoring his second fifty in Test cricket - 53, and sharing a useful 88_run eight_wicket stand with Steve Waugh to boost Australia's overall lead over England past the 350_run mark, a figure England had not chased to win an Ashes Test - the highest being 322 for 7 at Melbourne in 1928-29.

Warne is contracted with the English tabloid 'Daily Mirror' to write a weekly column for the duration of the tour. He is estimated to be getting 45,000 pounds sterling for airing his views on print.

Warne is expected to stay ten days with his family in Melbourne before returning to England for the Fourth Test at Headingley starting on July 24.

Australia's reserve wicket_keeper Adam Gilchrist was today ruled out of the tour after a freak accident at training left him with torn medial ligaments on his left knee.

Gilchrist will return to Sydney and will be replaced by Victorian Darren Berry, who is currently playing for Macclesfield in the Chesire league.


Source: The Daily News

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Date-stamped : 25 Feb1998 - 14:44