Warne ruled out for rest

JANUARY 10: World Cup champions Australia were dealt a crucial blow to their campaign with star leg-spinner Shane Warne virtually ruled ou...

JANUARY 10: World Cup champions Australia were dealt a crucial blow to their campaign with star leg-spinner Shane Warne virtually ruled out of further participation in the month-long Carlton and United Triangular cricket series due to injury.

The blonde leg-spinner suffered a side muscle tear while bowling in Australia’s 45-run defeat to Pakistan in the opening match at the Gabba and has been put out of action for two to four weeks.

Warne, who batted yesterday with the help of a runner, had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which revealed a “moderate muscle tear in his left side,” an Australian Cricket Board official announced here.

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Warne will need two to four weeks of rest following which the state of his injury will be reviewed, the official said, adding that “it needs constant assessment and treatment”.

The Aussie vice-captain looks certain to miss Australia’s remaining seven league matches, the last of which will be on January 30 against India at Perth.

In a statement read out to the media, Warne said: “I still hope to play a big part in the series. I had injuries before and I have come back well from those. I hope this time will be no different.”

The latest injury follows Warne’s impressive comeback after undergoing surgery in 1998 for a career threatening shoulder injury which kept him out of the game for months.

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There will beno addition to the remaining 12-man squad for the moment, the official added.