The leg-spinner and self-styled "tormentor-in-chief" of England's batsmen has now been pencilled in for a possible return to first class action early next month.

The 29-year-old was originally told he may be out of action for a year after an operation on his right shoulder last April.

But he has made a better recovery than expected and although he missed the start of Victoria's first Sheffield Shield game on Wednesday, this week has seen a distinct improvement in his fitness.

His rehabilitation had previously been restricted to delievering tennis balls.

But the past few days have seen him bowling gingerly at a training camp in Brisbane, and then turning his arm over much more aggressively in the nets at Melbourne.

He may now return for his state side against New South Wales on 4 November, leaving him time to prove his fitness for the first Ashes Test at Brisbane on 20 November.

Victoria coach John Scholes confirmed: "I'd say he was 70 or 80 per cent better than he was last week. He's gone from getting his arm over in a slow rotation to a genuine rotation.

"He's got a genuine chance to be bowling fairly normally in a week or so."

Whatever happens in the next four weeks Warne is determined that he will not miss the series.

"I haven't bowled a proper leg-break for six months, and it could be another three weeks before I can try again," he admitted this week.

"But everybody knows I'm a supreme optimist. That is why I don't want Alec Stewart and his squad to fly in from Heathrow this week thinking their tormentor-in-chief is completely crocked."