Warne expected to announce his retirement
21 December, 2006
CHAMPION Australian leg spinner is expected to announce his retirement today. One wicket short of becoming the first cricketer to take 700 Test wickets, Warne is expected to bow out from international cricket after the fifth Test in Sydney.
The Sydney Test match is also tipped to be the last for fast bowler Glenn McGrath who is also expected to announce his retirement from Test match cricket.
Former Australia captain Allan Border said he was in a state of shock over the imminent announcement when speaking on Fox Sports during the coverage of the Victoria v NSW one-day game.
"It's just caught everyone by surprise," he said.
Border added, "I just got the inkling that he was even considering one more tilt at England in England, and that would see him out.”
"I suppose there's a lot of innuendo about what the reasons are, I'm in a bit of a state of shock."
Border captained Warne in his first Test, when the leg spinner returned 1-150 against India during the 1991-92 season.
"There was something special about him, right from the word go," Border said.
"We just knew there was something about his kid, not many of us in the team had seen Shane bowl."
"He got 1-150 in his first Test, (against India at the S.C.G during the 1991-92 season) so you wouldn't predict 698 more.”
"But we knew he had something special."
Shane Keith Warne
Born: 13 September, 1969
Tests: 143
699 wkts, ave 25.49, best 8-71
ODIs: 194
293 wkts, ave 25.73, best 5-33
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