Shane Warne named Hampshire captain

Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne is still fully committed to his international career after being named as English county Hampshire's new captain on Wednesday.

Warne has reached an agreement to lead the southern county for two years starting in 2003, but only when international commitments allow.

"I'll be working around the international schedule and whenever it allows me to play for Hampshire, I will," Warne told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

"My number one priority is Australian cricket, it always has been, and I don't think anyone can question my devotion to Australian cricket over the years," he said.

"I'm happy to play on for Australia as long as I'm enjoying it because if you enjoy what you're doing you keep doing it and if not, then you should go and do something else.

"I enjoyed my time with Hampshire and I'm enjoying my international cricket, so why not both?" added Warne, currently in Colombo with the Australian side for the Champions Trophy.

"Statistically, I've just had my best ever year at international level so I want to keep my form going.

"I don't know when that form will finish or someone comes and taps me on the shoulder and says my time is up, but for now it's a matter of me making sure I've got security and building a relationship with Hampshire.

"It's a long-term thing when I've finished playing international cricket, making sure I don't come in cold five or six years after I first played there.

"I want to keep my association with the club, it's like a second home to me, and the club are happy with that," said Warne.

BURN-OUT

The 33-year-old leg-spinner, who has 450 Test and 283 one-day international wickets, also played down the risk of burn-out or injury from the large amount of cricket he could be playing over the next two years.

Warne, who finished his previous season with Hampshire in 2000 requiring knee surgery, faces up to 12 Tests and a maximum of 32 one-day internationals, plus playing for his state side Victoria, who he will also be captaining in 2002-03.

After that, he will have only around six weeks of county cricket from the start of June 2003 before Australia play Bangladesh in Test and one-day series.

"It's a tough international schedule," said Warne.

"But I'm as fit as I've ever been and I'm a lot smarter now with my cricket training.

"My fitness training is hard, but with my cricket training it's a case of doing enough. If that means bowling for three hours in the nets then I'll do it but if not then so be it.

"I've got no problems with my fingers, knees or my shoulder and everything's fine. I'm the best I've been for four or five years in that department and I think the results are showing that," added Warne, whose fitness regime has helped him shed around 14 kilograms this year.

OVERSEAS SIGNINGS

As for Hampshire, where he will replace former England batsman Robin Smith as captain, Warne is targeting other overseas signings.

"Captaining Hampshire is going to be a real challenge and something I'm really looking forward to," he said.

"My main priority for them is to get the club back where they belong, in the first division.

"We've got a lot of talented cricketers and I think it's just a matter of getting some more consistency, not a couple of good games followed by a couple of bad ones.

"Over two or three years I'd like us to be seen as one of the top two or three sides in the country, not middle of the road where we've been for the last few years."

The fact Warne is now leading two first-class sides will prompt speculation about whether he still has a chance of captaining Australia.

He did the job with success at one-day level when Steve Waugh was injured, but although he was vice-captain of the Test side for 18 months he lost that job to Adam Gilchrist in 2000.

"I'm always asked about that," he said. "I enjoy being captain, I think it brings out the best in me and, hopefully, I can bring out the best in those around me for Victoria and Hampshire.

"But as for Australia I think Ricky Ponting's doing a great job, he's taken to the task well in one-day cricket, and I've enjoyed playing under Stephen Waugh in the Test team and, hopefully, he and his brother Mark will be around for a long time."

Mail Cricket Editor