HAMPSHIRE captain Shane Warne will become the first man to take 700 Test wickets during this week's third Ashes Test at Perth.

That is the verdict of former Western Australia and Australia seamer Terry Alderman.

Warne needs six wickets to become the first man to 700.

He needs to improve his Test wicket-taking average at Perth (32 in 11 matches) if he is to reach that milestone ahead of the fourth Test on his home Melbourne pitch.

But Alderman believes the evidence points to Warne reaching the landmark in the third Test,which starts on Thursday.

Spin bowlers have done unusually well in Perth this season.

Rookie left-armer Aaron Heal, who played for Lymington in 2002 in the Southern Electric Premier League, has taken two five-wicket hauls and Western Australia teammate Brad Hogg one,and Warne is bowling better than ever.

Alderman said: "The WACA pitch has certainly lost its pace so the key in this match will again be Warne.

There will probably be more bounce for the spinners than the quicks, which is the crazy thing,and Warne is unbelievable.

The talk after the first innings (in Adelaide) that this is the end of Warne was ridiculous."