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Warne back to the bowling crease

Star legspinner Shane Warne has bowled a cricket ball for the first time since his shoulder surgery in May, ten days before England arrives for the five-Test Ashes tour.

Warne, who last week rolled his arm over to bowl a tennis ball, sent down a few deliveries at Victorian State training, coach John Scholes said on Friday.

Warne remains on target to meet England, although Scholes rates him only a 50-50 chance to play in Victoria's opening Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania starting Wednesday next.

The Test series starts in Brisbane on November 20 but the England squad arrives to acclimatise next week.

Warne watched his Victorian team play Tasmania in a practice match yesterday.

"He rolled his arm over after the match a few times, and he was quite happy about it,'' Scholes said. "He rolled a few off and did have a bit of a turn,'' he said.

Scholes said he would be closely monitoring Warne's progress in the lead up to the start of the MCG game.

"He's a 50-50 chance, it's a day to day thing at the moment, it depends how he's going over the next few days,'' Scholes said.

Warne, who has a record number of wickets by a spinner, had surgery to repair torn cartilage and ligaments in his bowling shoulder after returning from Australia's tour of India and Sharjah.

Initially it was feared he could be out of the game for up to two years.

UNI