Australian chief dismisses talk of Warne returning for Ashes

Warne, who quit international cricket after Australia’s 5-0 victory over England in early 2007, was quoted in Sydney as saying he would like to play in the next Ashes series.

“If Australia really needed me andthere was no one else around, and Ricky thought I could do the job, you would weigh up the options,” Warne said.

Return: Shane Warne says he would consider coming out of retirement if Australia needed him for the Ashes.

But CA chief executive Sutherland distanced his organisation from Warne’s comments.

“I’ve been in cricket long enough not to be surprised of any headlines that Warnie grabs,” he said.

“The simple answer is that Shane is retired from international cricket and has been for 15 months or so.”

However, he added: “I’m not a selector. They make decisions in the best interests of Australia cricket.

It’s not for me to be determining what the Australian cricket team needs.”

Warne, who took 708 Test wickets, is at present playing in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition.

He said: “I would still love to be playing international cricket and miss it because it’s been a big part of my life.

“If you could just turn up and play Test cricket, that would be cool. I would definitely consider that.”