Warne has had talks with Ponting and Buchanan

Sydney: Spin wizard Shane Warne needs to make a decision quickly if he wants to return to one-day cricket in time for next year’s World Cup, Australian captain Ricky Ponting said on Sunday.

Warne, who retired from the shorter version of the game after the 2003 World Cup to concentrate on Tests, would always be welcome in the ODI team, Ponting said on arrival in Sydney after a tour of Bangladesh.

Ponting also predicted that off-spinner Daniel Cullen, who made his debut in Bangladesh, would have a long international career.

“Dan bowled beautifully, but he probably didn’t bowl as much as I would have liked in the Test that he played,” Ponting said. “He only bowled about 13 or 14 overs in that series, but looked very much the part there.

“He had to work really hard to get his first ODI wicket, it didn’t come until his second spell in the third one-dayer. But he’s going to be a good bowler for Australia for a long period of time, there’s no doubt.”

Cullen is now No. 2 in the spin line-up for ODIs behind Brad Hogg, although that could change if Warne decides to return.

Aussie coach John Buchanan said Warne has held talks with Ponting and the national selectors during the series in South Africa and Bangladesh about his possible ODI return.

“Ricky, myself and (chairman of selectors) Andrew Hilditch have all had discussions with Shane about the World Cup,” Buchanan was quoted as saying in the Australian media on Sunday.

“There needs to be a commitment or otherwise from him. Either he makes himself available in terms of the team moving forward with its plans, or not. Then the selectors will have some decisions on their plate from there. Shane spoke to us in South Africa, and then again in Bangladesh.”

The leg-spinner indicated earlier this year that he was tempted by next year’s World Cup in the Caribbean. “It would be nice I suppose to play in the World Cup, but it depends on what I want to do with my Test future,” said Warne, who turns 37 in September.

“At the moment I’m retired (from one-day cricket) and I think my Test cricket’s proven to be as good as it’s ever been, so if that means I can’t play one-day cricket any more and it will extend my Test career, then maybe that’s the way it has to stay. But you never say never.”