Warne's one-day carrot.
By Jon Pierik - Fox Sports
RICKY Ponting yesterday called on Shane Warne to end his retirement from one-day cricket - saying he would love to have the banned leg-spinner back in his Australian side.
Ponting said that Warne, 34, still had much to offer world cricket and urged him to reconsider his decision to give away the short form of the game.
The Victorian tweaker is flirting with a comeback after having what he had hoped would be a glorious end to his one-day career - victory in last year's World Cup - derailed when he tested positive to a banned diuretic.
He now has less than a month left to run on the resulting suspension, which expires on February 10.
"I would love to have him back in my one-day team," Ponting said.
"He's a world-class bowler in both forms of the game.
"I would love to have him back in the Test side as well.
"He's a handy batsman. He is a pretty safe fieldsman where-ever you put him - mid-wicket, cover area or in the slips.
"His all-round package is pretty good and he's suited to both forms of the game.
"Let's just hope he gets back there."
Warne, who is Australia's leading wicket-taker in one-day internationals, would be an automatic inclusion in Ponting's world champion side if he decided to reverse his decision.
While replacement Brad Hogg excelled during the World Cup with 13 wickets at 24.77, he has largely struggled since and seems to have lost the confidence of the selectors.
Hogg did not play in Australia's opening two victories in the one-day tri-series against India and Zimbabwe, with Ponting admitting that the West Australian had "probably struggled a little bit" since South Africa.
"But he probably hasn't had many opportunities since then," Ponting added.
"We have had slightly different make-ups of our side since the World Cup."
In 13 matches since the World Cup, Hogg has taken only nine wickets at an average of 45.22.
"Hopefully (Warne) will get back to his best. He was a vital part of our side," Ponting said.
"He certainly adds a lot in the field and he is a very handy lower-order batsman."
National selection chairman Trevor Hohns has remained in regular contact with Warne, who is currently undergoing a rigorous conditioning program of weights, aerobics, yoga and cricket-specific exercises to get ready for his return to cricket.
Even if Warne does decide to reverse his decision, it seems he has little chance of playing in the one-day series in Sri Lanka next month, which precedes the three Tests in that country.
But he is likely to go straight into the Test team - provided he shows he can still turn a ball in his comeback games.
He is expected to play in the last three days of a Victorian second XI game, which begins the day before his ban expires, then against Tasmania in ING (February 14) and Pura Cup (starting February 16) matches.
The Sri Lanka one-day series starts on February 20 - the day the Test squad is announced.
"I imagine it would be pretty hard for him to be picked straight into the one-day squad without having played any cricket," Ponting said.
Warne played the last of his 193 one-day internationals against England in the tri-series finals against England at the MCG last summer.
