SHANE Warne will fly out to Australia at the end of this week but remains doubtful for his country's two Test matches against Sri Lanka next month.

The legendary leg-spinner is still 50/50 for Australia's two Tests against Sri Lanka in Darwin and Cairns in the first half of July after seeing a hand specialist in Southampton yesterday.

It was confirmed that Warne has fractured the fifth metacarpal bone in his left hand - he was hit by Darren Gough at Chelsmford last Friday while batting - so he remains unavailable for Hampshire until mid-July.

Australian all-rounder Shane Watson arrived back in Southampton yesterday and will replace Warne against Somerset in the championship match at the Rose Bowl which starts on Friday.

Nottinghamshire's Stuart MacGill, the man most likely to replace Warne, has backed the Rose Bowl skipper to be fit for the two-Test series beginning on July 1.

"I read on the teletext that Shane will be out for three to five weeks so I expect him to recover in time," MacGill said.

"I've seen Steve Waugh play with some pretty bad injuries and Shane is just as tough."

MacGill, currently playing county cricket with Nottinghamshire, has booked a holiday in Venice around the time of the first Test and is not expecting to change his plans.

Cricket Australia's medical officer, Dr Trefor James, will monitor Warne's progress and keep the selectors posted.

The selectors are not contemplating a possible stand-in for Warne at this stage.

"Shane will be doing everything he can to get himself right and we will give him as much time to do that as possible," said Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors. "But if he isn't 100 per cent fit then he won't be selected.

"At this stage, though, no player has been placed on standby or nominated as a possible replacement for Shane.

"We just want to see how the injury progresses over the next few weeks before looking at that scenario."

Both MacGill and Cameron White, the Victorian leg-spinner, were left out of the original 13-man squad, with the selectors anticipating fast wickets and no requirement for a second spinner.

Even if Warne made a remarkable recovery to face Sri Lanka in the opening Test on July 1, meanwhile, he is unlikely to come up against spinning rival Muttiah Muralitharan.

Test cricket's leading wicket-taker looks more likely by the day to make good his threat not to tour Australia. He said he was not attracted to the idea of playing in Darwin and Cairns - "they have not given important places to us" - and felt like having a rest.

"I need a break. I have played so much cricket and achieved what I wanted to achieve. I may take a break, a fresh start and play for another seven years. But I haven't decided yet."