Warne doubtful for Hobart test

It is as yet unknown if Warne will be fit for the test against West Indies at the Bellerive Oval which starts tomorrow. Did the umpires have a part to play here as well?

While we're talking about Warne, his interview in Wisden Asia Cricket is a nice read. I found this part extremely fascinating. He clearly knows what his ability is, but he also has a plan in place about when he should bowl what type of delivery. I suppose that really is a hallmark of the greats. It is no good having all the tricks of the trade if you don't know when to deploy them. I think that is where Saqlain failed. He began over-relying on his doosra and forgot about the pehla. Harbhajan was all set to go the same way, until he got his act together recently.

A lot of people talk about variety and what is variety, but I can bowl nothing but a legbreak - not even a straight one or a slider - and still have variety," he says. "I'm not being bigheaded about it but I can bowl five or six different legbreaks: in close to the stumps, out wide, in the middle, with a higher arm, a round arm, side spin, overspin - all for one delivery.

"There are a lot of guys looking at the television saying that's a legbreak all the time, but there are more things than just an actual legbreak. I suppose with a wrong 'un, flipper, slider, topspinner, backspinner, leggie, you've just got different deliveries. Sometimes you can out-think yourself and bowl too much. One of the keys to my game is I'm pretty patient and consistent because I've never tried to do too much. I've always relied on my legbreak and set them up for a straight one or an overspinner that bounces and gets a nick. Now I just can't get too excited and bowl them all the time, but I've never done that in my career. I have to continue practising so that when I want to bowl [the variations], when I want to set the batsman up with my plan, I can deliver them."

Stuart Clark, who came in as a replacement for Shaun Tait in the Super Series one-dayers, has been called up. I'd have thought this was a great opportunity to give Cameron White a go. Why bring in a pacer for a spinner? Symonds and Hodge will both play, with Hodge making his test debut aged nearly 31, with over 12000 first-class runs. What happens to Watson if Symonds clicks bigtime in the game? Surely he was picked as someone who would qualify as a true all-rounder. Somehow, Australia's selection policy continues to baffle me.