By Martin Gough

Two dates loom large on Shane Warne's calendar: 10 February, when he makes his competitive return from a drug ban; and 20 February, when he will find out if he is back in the Australian Test team.

Warne has half a Victoria second XI match, a single first-class fixture and a one-day game to prove he has still got what it takes.

But most predictions have Warne in the squad that will play three back-to-back Tests in Sri Lanka.

All the facts surrounding Warne's enforced 12-month break from cricket came out in the weeks following his disclosure that he took a banned slimming pill.

Warne could return to one-day cricket later this year

But the biggest question in the affair remains: Will one of the best spin bowlers in history be as good on his return as he was a year ago?

Reports from the Warne camp are promising. The 34-year-old gave up his media commitments in January and has been training twice a day since.

Banned even from training with contracted professional cricketers, Warne was seen in December bowling in the nets to former Test wicket-keeper Ian Healy.

Once a lager-and-chips man, he last year embraced a new fitness regime that saw him lose an estimated 22lbs (10kg) in weight, although the benefits were subsequently wasted.

Australia have suffered in the absence of their star leg-spinner, particularly in the Test arena, where they struggled to tie their home series against India.

MacGill mssed an opportunity to supplant Warne

Injury problems have hit the pace corps, too, with Warne's biggest ally Glenn McGrath out for the entire summer and Jason Gillespie struggling for fitness.

In Warne's place, Australia used Stuart MacGill in five of their six Tests this season.

Although Warne's career-long deputy claimed just 14 wickets in the series against India, he was still the home side's most successful bowler.

But he struggled for consistency, and India's batsmen were not afraid to take him on, leaving MacGill with an average of 50.8 runs conceded per victim.

As India batted on, Steve Waugh was forced to use batsman Simon Katich's left wrist to take five wickets, and his own medium pace in his final series as captain.

There are challenges for Warne in Sri Lanka, where Australia have not won a series since 1992.

LEADING TEST WICKET-TAKERS CA Walsh (WI) 519 wkts (132 Tests) SK Warne (Aus) 491 (107) M Muralitharan (SL) 485 (85) Kapil Dev (Ind) 434 (131) RJ Hadlee (NZ) 431 (86)

He will come face-to-face with Muttiah Muralitharan, his only rival for the crown of greatest spinner of the modern era.

Only West Indian Courtney Walsh has more than 500 career Test wickets. Warne is nine away from being the first spinner to reach the milestone, while Murali is close behind on 485 and in form.

The biggest challenge facing Australia, though, is their tour of India in September, when they will look to avenge the 2001 defeat and the recent struggle at home.

Warne had difficulty in the home of spin last time, taking 10 wickets at 50.50. He will be keen to make amends and Australia will want their best side available.

After that, Warne's realistic target for a valedictory series is the 2005 Ashes, and county side Hampshire hope he will then be their captain until 2007.

Just weeks before the ban, Warne said he would retire from one-day cricket after the World Cup.

He has hinted that decision could be reversed, but it will be a challenge for him to play both Tests and one-day internationals until the next World Cup, when he will be 37.

Those dates are all in the future, though. For the moment, Warne's diary only has pages for February.