Cricket: Officials steer clear of latest Warne text message claims

Australian cricket's governing body has distanced itself from the latest text message allegations surrounding spinner Shane Warne.

Cricket Australia said yesterday it would not get involved after a lawyer representing the leg-spinner warned Sunday News against publishing details of alleged text messages sent by Warne.

"Now that Cricket Australia has had a chance to understand the allegation it is very clear that this is a private life matter for Shane Warne," a spokesman for the authority said.

Australian team management are understood to have discussed the matter with Warne after the first day's play in the third test at Eden Park on Saturday.

Warne's parents Keith and Brigitte were at Eden Park yesterday but refused to comment, as did Australian captain Ricky Ponting.

Warne's brother Jason, also his manager, said: "Shane will not be making any comment because it is a nothing story, and not worth commenting on."

The tabloid newspaper reported that a Wellington source had offered to sell it a story for $30,000.

It published a letter from lawyer Andrew Scott-Howman warning of the dangers of publishing text messages without consent. Scott-Howman represented Daryl Tuffey this month at his misconduct hearing where the bowler admitted that during a brief affair he allowed himself to be video-taped.

"Without knowing the content (and alleged recipient) of a particular message, Mr Warne is unable to confirm whether he sent it," Scott-Howman wrote.

"Personal text messages sent between two parties are private and confidential in nature, and may not be published without the consent of those parties."

Scott-Howman said Warne, who was in New Zealand in January as captain of the World XI for the tsunami relief series, was unable to confirm whether he sent the message.

Warne's latest entry into newspaper headlines did not seem to trouble the man himself as he took the wicket of James Franklin with his third ball of the day yesterday. He ended with first innings figures of three for 63 to take his world record test wicket tally to 579.

It is not the first time Warne has made newspaper headlines for alleged off-field incidents.

Four years ago, the 35-year-old was stripped of the vice-captaincy of the Australia team after admitting he had engaged in "dirty" phone calls with English nurse Donna Wright, although he denied harassing her with phone messages. Two years ago, South African Helen Cohen Alon claimed Warne harassed her with phone messages, and the spinner has since admitted he fled to Spain in 2003 to save his marriage to wife Simone after an affair with a Melbourne stripper, who claimed Warne sent her a series of text messages.