Warne trains prospective English spinner

Injured Australian legspinner Shane Warne is using his convalescence to help an aspiring English leg spinner who may play in the 2001 Ashes series.

Warne, who says his spinning finger suffered no ill effect from his weekend return with club Saint Kilda, revealed Monday he was training an English leg-spin prospect.

In the Australian off-season Warne played with English county Hampshire, and struck up a friendship with opening batsman and prospective leggie Giles White.

White was spending a month in Melbourne under Warne's tutelage, with the lessons learned to be applied as soon as the 2001 Ashes series in England.

"He (White) mucked around with a few legspinners and was a bit of a part-timer," Warne said.

"We've worked on him for the summer in England.

"He's starting to come on really well and he could play Test cricket for England within the next couple of years -- maybe even next year against the Aussies in the Ashes.

"We'll just keep working on him and maybe he'll come good -- he could play as an all-rounder, maybe bat five or six and bowl."

White, 28, made his county debut with Somerset in 1991 before moving to Hampshire in 1994.

Warne said the process of teaching a novice the art of legspin was also of benefit to him on the comeback trail.

"Saying to him 'Follow through, get your weight forward, get you delivery stride right' is helping me re-jig all the stuff, going back to basics myself," Warne said.

There was no swelling or restricted movement in Warne's finger on Monday after nine overs with Saint Kilda on Sunday -- his first competitive bowl after breaking his finger fumbling a catch against New South Wales in October.

"It just feels really good so that's very positive and very encouraging," Warne said.

"There's no swelling there whatsoever and I've still got good movement.

"I'll just keep bowling longer periods, trying to rip it more and more every day.

"As long as it keeps pulling up okay the next day I'll keep moving forward.

"I don't want to set any comeback date because if I don't reach that date it's like I'm behind and if I'm a bit earlier than that it's like 'He's rushing it'."

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Mail Cricket Editor