County Championship, Division Two: Warne May Face Warning After Spat

The suspicion that the most competitive county cricket is found in the First Division was confounded here yesterday when Hampshire's captain Shane Warne and Peter Bowler, the veteran Somerset batsman who was brought up in Australia, were involved in a heated exchange yesterday afternoon.

Play did not start until 4.30pm but when Somerset resumed, 20 for one overnight in response to Hampshire's 301, Bowler was soon involved in an exchange with Warne that came to the attention of both umpires, Barry Leadbeater and Mervyn Kitchen. Warne was warned earlier this month after a similar spat with the Essex captain Ronnie Irani.

"These are two sides desperate for victory," the Somerset coach Kevin Shine said last night. His side declared after 26 overs in the expectation of being set a target in the region of 350 from 85 overs today.

Afterwards, Andrew Caddick expressed his disappointment at the lack of contact from the England selectors.

"I respect their [the selectors'] views as far as selection is concerned, but as far as communication is concerned, it's just lacking," Caddick, who had his first five-wicket return for the season on Thursday, said yesterday.

"I won't retire just yet from international cricket. I still feel I have something to prove and something to offer. I still think I can take wickets at international standard.

"David Graveney and Rod Marsh have seen me bowl well at the start of the summer and the communication has been lacking. Nothing has been said. I just need to know what's going on.

"For the moment, it's just a case of getting out there and carrying on. I just think that the England management need to communicate a bit more with the players on the fringe of international cricket."