Wayward Warne slips into leadership at last

The man who was considered too irresponsible to captain his country has been given a leadership role with Cricket Australia. Shane Warne's off-field behaviour was behind the board's decision not to let him lead the Test team when Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh stepped down, but in retirement he has joined CA's playing conditions committee and accepted a position coaching spin bowling.

Warne, who walked away from the international arena in January, now holds a "leadership in cricket" title that also allows him to work with state and national teams and in game development. His wide-ranging duties include encouraging domestic captains to use slow bowling properly, helping the Australia Under-19 squad prepare for the World Cup in Malaysia and completing stints at the Centre of Excellence, where he will advise the men's and women's squads.

"The work I'm going to be doing with young spinners and their state captains is a really important role and I believe I have a lot to offer," he said. "I've already had some contact with youngsters around the country but to be able to work in a structured way will hopefully give teams an even greater understanding of how to develop spin talent."

Warne's move into the administrative ranks is amusing as the officials provided as many headaches for the bowler during his career as he did for them. Two of Warne's former captains, Allan Border and Mark Taylor, are already on the playing committee, which looks at the regulations in Australia and makes recommendations to the ICC.

"I've got some thoughts on the game that I can bring to that group," he said. "I'm in a different phase of my life now and it's going to be interesting being on the other side of the table and helping to influence the shape and future direction of the game."

James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, hoped the role would let Warne's positive impact on the game continue. "He is someone with a true passion for Australian cricket," Sutherland said, "and when you combine that with his obvious expertise it is a very exciting prospect."

It was a busy day for Warne, who was also at the MCG to donate merchandise to the Melbourne Cricket Club and take part in Milo Have-A-Go Cricket at the lunch break. Cartoon figures of Warne on the scoreboard and one side of the sightscreen added to his hefty presence at his former home ground.