Warne has new 'mystery ball'

2005-08-04 08:47

Sydney - Shane Warne has upped the mind games against faltering England by declaring he has a new mystery delivery which he believes will help Australia retain the Ashes.

Test cricket's leading wicket-taker claimed six wickets in Australia's massive first Test victory at Lord's last month and reportedly has more spin terrors for Michael Vaughan's team in the second Edgbaston Test getting under way Thursday.

Warne has been working on the delivery with his spin guru Terry Jenner in the nets and was keeping it all under wraps ahead of the second match of the series.

"We worked on a new delivery, which was extremely effective in the first Test," Warne told Sydney's Daily Telegraph Thursday.

"I can't give anything away at the moment but I can tell you there will be more to come on that delivery in this series.

"Am I talking rubbish about the new ball? The Poms will just have to wait and see."

The 35-year-old leg-spinner has been tormenting English batsmen for 12 years and has captured 589 wickets in 124 Tests - 138 of them against England in 27 matches.

Warne said former Test leg-spinner Jenner's input had been vital going into the first Test.

"Following our first Test win I owe a big thank you to Terry for his help with my action," Warne said.

"It's always nice to catch up with the world's best spin doctor who happens to know my bowling better than anyone.

"We worked on alignment and just straightening me up in my approach to the crease and the position of my arm."

Sow doubt

Warne, who has used every opportunity to sow doubt into the minds of England's batsmen over the years, wondered aloud whether England have slipped back into their old ways.

"Dropping catches and losing the first Ashes Test badly. Haven't we seen it all plenty of times before?" he asked.

"Was all the hype and expectation nothing more than wishful thinking? Are the Poms the real deal?

"I can't give a definitive answer to that one, but I do know we have only won one Test and there are four more to play."

Warne, the greatest spinner of the modern era, troubled England at Lord's with two of his specialty deliveries: the leg-break and the "slider".

All of England's batsmen, apart from Kevin Pietersen, appeared unable to distinguish between them.

Warne's "slider" is bowled with the same action as the leg-break, and from a distance it looks quite similar, but the subtle difference is that it is pushed out of the front of the hand rather than spun out of the side.

Upon pitching, it goes straight on and low, confounding the batsman.

- SAPA