SHANE WARNE gets the chance to reach his 1,000 first class wickets milestone in the Test area this week.

The Hampshire skipper, pictured above, entered Victoria's Pura Cup match against Queensland last week needing just five wickets to reach the four-figure tally.

But the world Test wicket record holder could only manage figures of 1-86 and 0-11.

With four wickets now needed, Warne plays for Australia in the first of three Tests in New Zealand this month - starting in Christchurch on Thursday.

Warne is currently in third position on Australia's list of the leading wicket-takers in first class cricket behind Clarrie Grimmett (1,424 wickets) and Graham McKenzie (1,219).

Warne has taken 34 more Test wickets (566 overall at 25.62) than great Sri Lankan rival Muttiah Muralitharan.

But the off-spinner beat Warne to 1,000 first-class wickets when he reached his personal milestone against Zimbabwe last year.

Of Warne's 996 first-class wickets, at 25.96), more than 50 per cent have come in Test matches.

Amazingly, only 134 of his wickets have been for state Victoria in the four-day Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield.

Legendary England bowler Wilfred Rhodes holds the long-standing record for the most number of first class wickets.

The Yorkshireman took 4,187 first-class wickets, including 127 Test wickets, in a remarkable 30-year career.

Meanwhile, Hampshire batsman Simon Katich is set to take the middle order position for Australia in the forthcoming series in New Zealand vacated by Darren Lehmann.

A standby opener in the past, Katich - who struggled in the recent 5-0 one-day whitewashing of the Kiwis - is now competing for his place with Lancashire's prolific batsman Brad Hodge breathing down his neck.

Hodge continued his superb form with another century for Victoria against Queensland at the weekend, though his state lost by 78 runs.