LONDON. Dec 11 (AFP): Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has been sacked as a columnist by English tabloid newspaper 1116 Mirror.

The newspaper took the action following revelations that Warne had accepted money from bookmakers for pitch and weather information during the tour of Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 1994.

Warne, who has missed the first three Tests of the current Ashes series with a shoulder injury. had been employed by The Mirror to act as a columnist throughout the series and next year's World Cup in England.

Sports editor Des Kelly decided to terminate the contract after it was disclosed that Warne and teammate Mark Waugh had been fined by the Australian Cricket Board for what both players deemed a "naive and foolish act."

"Shane Warnes reputation will remain irrevocably tarnished in the eyes of the public after the revelations of the past 48 hours," said Kelly.

It could be the tirst in a number of financial bombshells for Warne, although sportswear giants Nike have said they will stand by him.

Nike said Thursday they would continue to pay Wame to Emote their products despite admissions.

Nike said in a statement that Wame had made a serious misjudgement in 1994 but it believed the leg-spinner had matured in the past four years and learnt from his mistake.

Wame makes more money from endorsements - reportedly worth 1.1 million dollars (670.000 US) a year - than any other player in Australian cricket history. His terms with Nike were not disclosed.

Wame. the current Victorian captain, had been earmarked as Mark Taylor's replacement as national skipper and has already led Australia at one-day

But Australian Cricket Board chief executive Malcolm Speed refused to be drawn on the impact the controversy would have on Warne's leadership ambitions.

"I'm not involved in team selection so I can't comment." he said.