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Hookes faces legal action from Warne

Former Australian cricketer David Hookes faces legal action over accusations that Shane Warne was about to be embroiled in another bribery scandal.

The star leg-spinner's brother and personal manager, Jason Warne, said a transcript of comments made by Hookes on Melbourne radio two days ago had been referred to legal advisers.

"The advice is that it is defamatory," Jason Warne told The Australian yesterday.

"Shane's got enough on his plate at the moment. We'll talk about it when he gets back from the World Cup."

Jason Warne said the claims that more would soon come out about Shane's involvement in gambling on cricket had hurt the Australian vice-captain's marketability.

"It costs Shane," Jason Warne said. "It ruins his value in a commercial sense. From a management point of view, it makes it a lot more difficult to negotiate contracts.

Hookes made his claims during 3AW's breakfast show on Thursday morning, then issued a "clarification" in the afternoon, backing away from much of what he said.

Jason Warne said it was inadequate.

"He made the accusations in the morning speaking to 134,000 listeners. The retraction at night was to 22,000 listeners," Jason Warne said.

An unfounded rumour claiming there is much more to come out about the cricket betting scandal has been circulating in for at least a fortnight. It was mentioned by Jason Dunstall on his Melbourne radio show last Friday, but the former champion Hawthorn full-forward did not disclose any names.

In December last year, an investigation by The Australian prompted the Australian Cricket Board to reveal that Shane Warne and Mark Waugh were each secretly fined almost four years earlier for selling information to illegal Indian bookmakers.

Meanwhile, Australian skipper Steve Waugh today called for an end to media criticism of Warne.

He said if the continual scrutiny didn't end, Australia could lose one of its greatest ever cricketers.

Warne, described by Waugh as a "great asset to the game'', has come under fire since he was dropped from the Test side in the West Indies, for the first time in 69 Tests, in April this year.

In 15.2 overs in two World Cup matches against India and Zimbabwe, the Australian vice-captain has conceded 104 runs and taken just one wicket and the pressure on him to quit is mounting.

But Waugh, preparing his team for tomorrow's Super Six match against title favorite South Africa, said Warne was a vital part of the team and "will come good when it counts".

"Give the guy a bit more leeway,'' he said. "I think he deserves that. I really don't know what people want from him. They want to try to take a guy down and lose one of Australia's greatest ever cricketers.''

Warne's World Cup fortunes have see-sawed just as Australia's and Waugh said it was effecting the champion spinner, who was taking a "few things personally''.

"He wants to win the World Cup and so do we,'' Waugh said. "He's taken a few (negative comments) personally. It's hard not to. He is in the public eye now and big news all the time ... (but) you can destroy a guy if you go too far.''