Warne arrives at inquiry

Shane Warne has arrived at the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) headquarters to face an anti-doping hearing that will decide his cricketing future.

The 33-year-old faces a possible two-year ban after testing positive for diuretics hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride.

However, Warne’s defence thus far has been that he was unaware that the medicine Moduretic – provided by his mother – contained any banned substances.

Upon his return from the World Cup, the Victorian insisted he took the “fluid tablet” for weight loss purposes in the days before announcing his retirement from one-day international cricket.

The three-man anti-doping panel will hear evidence and determine whether Warne has broken any of the ACB’s regulations.

If Warne is handed the maximum suspension he would be ruled out of the game until the 2005 Ashes series in England, when he will be 35.

But Warne is expected to pursue the “exceptional circumstances” clause contained in the ACB’s anti-doping policy which opens up the possibility of a reduced penalty.

His mother Brigitte has, as expected, also turned up at Jolimont, Melbourne, where it is expected she will give evidence.