Hampshire were holding meetings with Shane Warne's London agent on Friday to try and make some sense of the tug-of-war developing between thge county and the Australian cricket authorities.

Although Hampshire are still desperately keen for the world's greatest leg-spinner Warne to join them next season, they are beginning to show concerns over his availability.

The Australian Cricket Board have already signed up for two one-day competitions against South Africa next summer and Hampshire's fear is that there could be more to come. Australia and South Africa are committed to playing in the world's first major indoor tournament, with the first half of the series in South Africa on April 12,14 and 16, and the return at Melbourne's Docklands Arena on August 16,18 and 20. Both halves of the tournement take place in what would normally be a Southern Hemisphere winter.

Hampshire chief executive Tony Baker says Warne is still keen to come for his first taste of English domestic cricket but, like all Aussie Test players, is bound by the sort of central contract to the ACB that the ECB want to bind English players to. The ACB have still to give their official blessing to Warne or any other Australian players joining English counties next summer.

© The Daily Echo