SYDNEY, Dec 10 (AFP) - US sports goods giant Nike said Thursday it would continue to pay Shane Warne to promote their products despite his admission he took money from an Indian bookmaker four years ago.

Warne and batsman Mark Waugh apologised Wednesday for providing information to an Indian bookmaker while touring Sri Lanka in 1994.

Nike said in a statement Thursday that Warne had made a serious misjudgement in 1994 but it believed the legspinner had matured in the past four years and learnt from his mistake.

Warne makes more money from endorsements -- reportedly worth 1.1 million dollars (670,000 US) a year -- than any other player in Australian cricket history.

His terms with Nike were not disclosed.

Warne and Waugh were fined 8,000 dollars (4,800 US) and 10,000 dollars (6,000 US) respectively by the Australian Cricket Board in February 1995 but the disciplinary action was hushed up for three years.

The pair admitted to providing the bookmaker with information about weather and pitch conditions during the tour.

However, Warne's self-confessed "naive and stupid" involvement with the bookmaker could still cost him the Australian captaincy.

The current Victorian captain had been earmarked as Mark Taylor's replacement as national skipper and has already led Australia at one-day level.

But Australian Cricket Board chief executive Malcolm Speed refused to be drawn on the impact the controversy would have on Warne's leadership ambitions.

"I'm not involved in team selection so I can't comment," he said.