The Victorian Bushrangers have made a stunning comeback behind Shane Warne's leg spin late on day three to snatch outright victory against the Western Warriors in the sides' Pura Cup match at the WACA Ground.

Warne (5/49) grabbed three wickets in the hour after tea, including the prized scalp of newly-appointed Australia 'A' captain Simon Katich (72), to help reduce the Warriors from 2/108 to 6/133 after they had been set the less than daunting looking target of 258.

The Warriors were eventually removed for 181 when man-of-the-match Warne grabbed the last two wickets with consecutive deliveries, handing the Bushrangers a 77-run win and giving him match figures of 9/102 from 35.5 overs.

It was a fitting celebration for the thirty-one year old, who is returning from a broken ring finger on his spinning hand. Earlier in the day, Warne went one batter than Katich when he was recalled to the Australian side for the upcoming Carlton One-Day International Series.

After the match, Warne said that he was really happy with his bowling in both the four-day match and the Mercantile Mutual Cup clash on Tuesday.

"I was very encouraged with the way the ball came out, especially here in Perth on a grassy and flat wicket which didn't offer too much turn," he said.

"I think, if I'm bowling at my best, I've still got a lot to offer the Australian team."

Warne also said that he was pleased to get the crucial Warrior wickets - Katich and Damien Martyn - after going back to basics in his rehabilitation.

The result leaves the Bushrangers second in the Pura Cup standings, two points behind Queensland. The Warriors remain fourth but are in danger of being overtaken by South Australia, which holds the upper hand in the clash with New South Wales.

Bushrangers captain Paul Reiffel said the result was vital to Victoria's Pura Cup hopes.

"A win at the WACA is sensational for us," Reiffel said.

"It puts us in a great position for the rest of the year."

The Bushrangers began the third day in a comfortable position at 3/146, with Jason Arnberger (63) and Clinton Peake (33) looking to build on a 165-run second innings lead.

Arnberger was out without scoring however, trapped plumb lbw by veteran Warriors paceman Jo Angel (4/60) in the second over of play.

It was a crucial blow. The twenty-eight year old held the Bushranger innings together late yesterday, watching on as he lost three partners in the space of a session. Without him, Victoria failed to gather any momentum.

New batsman Ian Harvey (18) threw caution to the wind with a cover drive just two balls later and then watched as Peake cut a wide delivery past gully and to the fence.

But Peake lasted only another three overs, before slashing at a wide Angel delivery and sending the ball flying to gully fielder Mike Hussey.

After replacing Brendon Julian (1/39) in the thirteenth over of the day, Gavin Swan (1/63) bowled loosely for the most part. Yet his twelfth ball saw Harvey driving square of the wicket and into the hands of Katich, leaving Victoria at 6/196.

Warne (12) made a cameo appearance to help push the Victorians past the double ton, sending three consecutive Swan deliveries to the boundary. However, he also soon came unstuck.

Stuart Karppinen (3/34) was partnered with Swan and the first ball of his second over was poked into the off-side by Darren Berry. Warne set off in earnest pursuit of a single but Berry was not interested at all; Katich opting to lob the ball into Marcus North at the stumps at the bowler's end with the champion leg spinner still well short of his ground.

As he walked to the showers with the score at 7/210, Warne glared over his shoulder at Berry, not leaving too much doubt as to where he laid the blame. After hitting Karppinen deliveries to the fence twice, Berry was then back in the dressing room himself, caught by fine leg fielder Swan after top edging a daring hook.

Angel returned in the half-hour before lunch to try and add to his impressive figures, only to watch Karpinnen continue the destruction when Reiffel (14) mistimed a stroke and was caught by Swan at mid on.

Fittingly, however, Angel closed out the innings when he extracted a slight edge from Lewis which carried to wicketkeeper Mark Walsh, giving him four wickets for the innings and causing play to halt for lunch.

The Bushrangers struck seconds after the break to remove Murray Goodwin (1), caught by Peake at point from Reiffel (2/38). Goodwin failed to maintain the form that had brought him fifty-nine first innings runs, slipping back to unhappy ways from earlier in the season.

Remaining opener Mike Hussey and new batsman Katich, however, seemed quite comfortable in building on the score, and the Bushrangers' lead soon looked inadequate on a batting pitch far more benign than the batting in the match had made it appear for two-and-a-half days.

Adding to Victoria's worries about a low target was a slow over rate which saw them five overs behind schedule.

Just as he seemed ready to post his biggest first-class score of the season, though, Hussey edged new bowler Michael Lewis (2/48) to wicketkeeper Berry and left the innings poised at 2/78. It also left him with five scores between thirty-five and fifty this season.

Warne then changed the whole scenario in his ninth over and, more specifically, in the space of four balls. He first trapped Martyn (8) lbw and then had new batsman North (0) caught at short leg by Arnberger, reducing the Warriors to 4/108 and pairing Katich with his captain.

While Moody (1) was happy to plod along and let Katich do the damage on the scoreboard - evidenced best by a splendid sweep at Warne - the Bushrangers continued to push in concerted fashion.

Moody's cautious approach soon backfired; Lewis found his outside edge, offered Berry the simplest of catches, and reduced the Warriors to a mark of 5/129.

And, when Warne snared the wicket of dangerman Katich to leave the home side six wickets down, it was obvious that the resurgent Victorians had well and truly re-assumed the upper hand. Warne had claimed seven wickets of his own by this point of the contest.

The Warriors stumbled past 150 but were short another man when Reiffel claimed the wicket of Walsh (5), who cut a catch straight to cover point and the safe hands of Matthew Mott.

Not even the best efforts of Brendon Julian (19) late in the day could save the sinking ship. He was caught by Arnberger at mid on while pulling unwisely at Ian Harvey (1/15). At 8/175, the Warriors' hopes were receding rapidly.

Warne finally gave the Bushrangers the six points when he removed Angel (0) and Karppinen (17) with successive deliveries. Angel hit out but was caught by Mathew Inness at mid off and Karppinen was pinned back on his crease and adjudged lbw.

Reiffel said the Bushrangers thought the WACA wicket was a good one for making runs.

"This morning we came here to try and build up a sizeable lead and we were happy to bowl them out tomorrow. But it didn't all work that way," he revealed, adding he didn't expect the match to finish tonight.

Reiffel said Warne had been the key to the early win.

"Shane Warne bowled beautifully for us in this game and gave us a lot of energy," Reiffel said. "He was the key bowler in the game.

Reiffel said Warne had been very keen to play and, while he had not been expecting that the leg spinner would capture so many wickets, he knew the performance would be good.

For his part, Katich commented that it was an honour to be named captain of Australia 'A' but that he would be forced to contrast that with the disappointment emanating from a loss that has now left the Warriors well adrift of the top two positions on the Pura Cup table.

"I found out just before the start of play today, but it wasn't really on my mind at all because the game here was crucial for us," Katich said. "We're struggling at the moment."

Katich said the Warriors lost their momentum when Hussey was out to Lewis, adding that the Bushrangers' second innings progress was similarly stalled by the loss of the key wicket of Arnberger.

"I dare say if he hadn't been given, it might have been a different scenario. But the same thing happened to them," he said.

"(Warne) basically took the game from us. He single-handedly got them the points."

© 2000 CricInfo Ltd