LEG-SPIN legend Shane Warne is adamant he could return to Test cricket on a whim and still excel, were it not for his family priorities trumping cricket.

''If you asked me, 'Can I come out and play a Test match tomorrow?' I'd have absolutely no doubt I could rip them out of the rough and turn them square, all that sort of stuff,'' Warne said. ''But playing international cricket is a huge commitment.

"I have absolutely no doubt that I could come out and rip 'em and be effective and do pretty well" ... Shane Warne. Credit:Sebastian Costanzo

''Playing Twenty20 is a different commitment. You're only bowling 24 deliveries, sometimes you might only bowl eight, sometimes 12. It depends on what the game needs. You don't have to be prepared as you do for a Test match, to bowl 60 overs in a match. That would test my fitness if I ever had to do that again, which is highly unlikely.''

Warne's unconventional preparation for this year's T20 tournament, training in wintry conditions in Europe and also India during a television commentary stint before arriving in Melbourne late last week, has not stopped the 43-year-old from declaring he has been bowling better than he had at any time since his Test retirement almost six years ago, if not longer.