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Warne given ACB contract

MELBOURNE April 23. Shane Warne was given one of the Australian Cricket Board's 25 elite contracts on Wednesday despite his serving a 12-month ban for returning a positive doping test to banned diuretics.

Warne, 33, was given a contract and will be paid on a pro-rata basis when his ban ends on February 10. Until then, he's not allowed to play any organized cricket.

After withdrawing from Australia's World Cup campaign in South Africa before a ball was bowled, Warne admitted he'd taken a `diet pill' that must have contained the banned substance.

Warne is Australia's leading bowler in Test and limited-overs cricket and the most prolific leg-spinner ever in cricket. He said he was determined to return to international cricket next year.

The ACB's contracted players are paid a base retainer, which is tiered according to a player ranking system decided by the National Selection Panel, the ACB said on Wednesday. Each player also receives match fees, tour fees and prize money for on-field success.

The minimum retainer for the Australians in 2003-04 is 125,000 Australian dollars ($77,600), an increase of 15,000 dollars ($9,300) from 2002-2003. The match fees have increased 10 per cent, with players receiving 12,100 dollars ($7,500) for each Test match appearance and 4,850 dollars ($3,000) for each limited-overs International.

``With an average age of 29, the list for this year boasts a good mix of youth and experience and presents a talented crop from which to choose the Australian team,'' ACB chief executive James Sutherland said.

``Like the selection of any squad, some players will be disappointed, but they can be comforted in the knowledge that exclusion from the list does not end the chance of gaining Australian selection at any stage this year.''

AP

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