Warne slams Australia rotation policy

SYDNEY: Test great Shane Warne on Monday criticised Australia's contentious use of the player rotation policy and called for changes to the one-day and Twenty20 formats.

Warne, 43, added his voice to other prominent ex-players and the media against the selection policy of rotating players, particularly fast bowlers, to guard against them breaking down from too much cricket.

"When we were number one there weren't mission statements flying around, but we got the selection process right and the best 11 were selected for every game," Warne said on his website www.shanewarne.com.

"Example: Glenn McGrath didn't want to be rotated or rested, he wanted to play every game, and we all did.

"It's simple, select your best 11 for each form of the game, not the same 11 but your best available team at all times."

Warne's comments came in part two of his manifesto entitled "Where is Australian cricket at?", which he started last week when he branded the people making decisions on the running of cricket in Australia as "muppets".

The outspoken leg-spinner Monday also called for changes in the one-day and Twenty20 formats.

"We have changed the rules/laws too many times in this form (one-day) of the game, everyone is confused," he said.

"It is time to deregulate one-day cricket. No restrictions with the field, none, place the fielders anywhere you want, this will create so many options and the attacking captains and teams will win.

"The only law should be that no bowler can bowl more than 10 overs."

Warne also wants an increase in the maximum overs a bowler can deliver in T20 cricket to five from a current four.

"Increase the maximum per bowler to five overs not four, so four bowlers can bowl five overs and each ground should be as big as possible," he said.

Australia, third in the Test and one-day rankings, lost their recent Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka after drawing the one-day series and beating the visitors in the Test series.

The Australians currently lead the West Indies two-nil in their five-match ODI series before heading off on a four-Test tour to India later this month.

Warne claimed 708 Test wickets in a celebrated career that also courted controversy, including a fine for taking money from a bookmaker. He was sent home from the 2003 World Cup for taking a banned diuretic.