Shane Warne has tipped Australian team-mate Michael Slater to come back stronger than ever from his Test cricket axing.

Warne arrived back in Australia tonight from the Ashes tour after staying an extra week in England to promote his new autobiography.

He said Slater, who was dropped from the final Ashes Test because of a combination of poor form and personal problems, would sort things out and return a better player.

"I think Slats is obviously going through a bit of a time in his life that he needs to sort out for himself and I'm sure he will," Warne said.

"He's thinking rationally, he knows what he wants. It's just a matter for him to sort it out.

"It's nothing to do with anybody else - it's something personal to do with him. I'm sure he'll sort it out and his cricket will be fine.

"He'll come back stronger and better for sure."

While Slater's form went into freefall on the Ashes tour, Warne's form returned to the orbit where it's spent most of his cricket career.

After a dismal tour of India, Warne took 31 Test scalps in England, passed 400 Test wickets and moved into fifth place on the all-time Test wicket-takers list.

And he can now add best-selling author to his list of achievements - Warne's autobiography is now No 1 on The Sunday Times' best-sellers list in England.

Warne also revealed he was still hoping to be a candidate for the Australian captaincy or vice-captaincy once Steve Waugh retired.

He said the Australian Cricket Board had told him the door was not closed, despite being sacked as Australian vice-captain last year over a phone sex scandal involving an English nurse.

"It'd be a great opportunity to be one of the candidates down the track, but if my time's been and it's up to somebody else, then so be it," Warne said.

"I'd like to think I'd be one of the candidates.

"But it might be four or five years down the track and it would be past my time and they'd obviously be looking for somebody else."

Warne said he was looking forward to spending time with his family at home in Melbourne and doing "two weeks of nothing", before gearing up for Australia's showdown with South Africa and New Zealand over summer.

© 2001 AAP