"It's probably doubtful I'm going to take eight wickets, given this wicket generally suits the quicks a lot more than the spinners," Warne told reporters in Cairns ahead of Friday's second Test against Sri Lanka.

Warne took 3 for 20 and 0 for 61 in Darwin last week as Australia clinched a 149-run win inside three days of play in the first Test of the two-match series.

The leg spinner has 520 career wickets, seven short of Sri Lanka's Muralitharan. The 32-year-old off spinner has withdrawn from the Australia tour for personal reasons.

"It was disappointing. I probably needed to get a couple of wickets in that second innings," Warne said.

"Hopefully the boys can hang on to a few (catches) and I can bowl well enough to get the wickets," the 34-year-old Warne said.

"I don't think anyone is going to get a chance once Murali gets back playing. When he plays he gets seven or eight wickets a game. If he plays for another four or five years he will be somewhere around a thousand wickets."

PERSONAL EDGE

Warne, who took 26 wickets in Australia's 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka in March this year, said he still held the edge over captain Marvan Atapattu's side despite taking only three wickets last week.

"I don't think they have improved. I probably bowled a few more bad deliveries than I normally bowl," Warne said.

"It was never in doubt that we were going to win the game. They (Sri Lanka's batsmen) didn't look like they had any ideas against our fast bowlers.

"(In the second innings) I didn't have much luck. I think I've definitely got the wood over the Sri Lankans. We've seen that over the last few series.

"All of us are playing well against Sri Lanka. If we bowl to our plans I think we can rock and roll them cheaply again," he said.

Warne, rated by Wisden as one of the five cricketers of the 20th century, said he was eagerly awaiting the October 2005 six-day match in Sydney between Australia and a Rest of the World XI.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced this week Australia would play the combined team if Ricky Ponting's side held the top ranking until April 1 2005.

"It's a great concept. Everybody would like to get a little bit of revenge on Australia and gang up on us and try and beat us," Warne said.

"That would be a great spectacle and it would be nice to be a part of it."