Warne in his own words

I'm a very happy man getting that urn back, and I'm going to announce my retirement from international cricket, domestic cricket for Victoria and St Kilda as well.

It's been unbelievable, I think my journey and my ride in international cricket has been phenomenal. I don't think I could have written my script any better. It's been an amazing journey, an unbelievable ride. There's so many people to thank.

But the one thing is today, it's more, you know, I thought I'd be sad, and I think a lot of people said, you'll know when your time is up. You'll know when the time is right and I sort of doubted that, I didn't really understood, or understand what they meant. And I sit here in front of you today, and I know exactly what they mean, and my time is now. And look, I couldn't have asked for things to go any better.

The script, I suppose, leading up to these last two test matches, I'm going to retire at the end of the Sydney test match. The reason for doing it that way, I wasn't going to do anything ahead of the team. The team always came first, and once the urn was back, then it was going to be time to announce the retirement. If that had to wait until the end of the Sydney test match, then it would have been then.

But as it's worked out, and the script's been written: three-nil. We've got the urn back from Perth for the opportunity to play out here at the MCG in front of my family and friends who I've grown up with, and spent a lot of time with. And then Sydney where it all started - 16 cricket seasons ago, nearly 20 odd years of first class cricket ago, it started in Sydney, and is still my proudest moment playing my first test match. It was an amazing feeling.

So, to have that opportunity, to walk off in Sydney where it all began a long time ago, and the ride began, then I think that's a great opportunity and something to celebrate with the team.

My team mates, we've been in it together. This last sort of little journey since we lost the Ashes was a real mission for all of us in the team, the Australian cricket team, to get that urn back. I sit here today with every single trophy available in international cricket in the Cricket Australia offices. So I think as a player, I'd like to think that I played my part in helping those trophies get into Cricket Australia.

I sit here today a very happy man. It's been sort of on my chest for a while, I probably would have retired at the end of 2005 Ashes series if we had have won. But it wasn't to be.

My life has been unbelievable to be honest. It's, you know, cricket is statistics based game, but it's not about statistics and money and financial and those types of things. To me, if it was about that sort of stuff, I would keep playing 'cause I feel like I'm still bowling well enough to keep playing. It's about knowing the right time, and I'd like to out on top.

I think I'm going out when, on my terms, I'd like to think I've earned that right to go out on my terms. But it's a day of celebration, celebrating a wonderful ride, and that's basically what I'm here for today.

1969: September 13 - born Fern Tree Gully, Melbourne, Australia.

1990: Released from Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide for disciplinary reasons.
1992: January - Makes Test debut against India in January. In two Tests against India his overall figures were one for 228 and he is sent back to Adelaide Academy.

August - Returns for tour of Sri Lanka. Takes three for 11 from 5.1 overs in the second innings of the first Test.

1993: Takes seven for 52 against the West Indies in Melbourne. Bags 17 wickets in three Tests against New Zealand.
June - Bowls Mike Gatting with his first ball in a Test in England at Old Trafford. It pitches outside leg stump but rips across the England batsman to hit off.
1994: Leading wicket-taker again in all three series he plays in, rounding off the campaign with a hat-trick against England in Melbourne.

1996: After receiving treatment on his shoulder, he requires surgery of his major spinning finger causing him to miss a short tour of India.

1997: Takes 24 wickets and scores 188 runs as Australia hit back from the disappointment of losing the first Test to retain the Ashes in England.

1999: Man of the match in Australia's World Cup final victory over Pakistan at Lord's.

2000: Becomes Australia's highest-ever Test wicket-taker by passing Dennis Lillee's milestone of 355 while on tour in New Zealand.
Named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Century

2001: Claims 31 wickets as Australia retain the Ashes with a 4-1 series win over England, taking 11-229 in the final Test at the Oval. Becomes only the sixth bowler to take more than 400 wickets in the process.

2002: Named man of the series as he claims 27 wickets as Australia record a 3-0 win in Pakistan. Takes his tally to 477 Test wickets by easily beating the Australian record for most wickets in a three-Test series, previously held by Lillee and Richie Benaud, with 23.
Takes 14 wickets in the first three Tests of Australia's 4-1 Ashes series win over England, but misses the last two after suffering a dislocated shoulder in a one-day international on December 15.

2003: January - Announces plans to retire from one-day internationals after following month's World Cup.
February - Pulls out of the World Cup after taking a diuretic given to him by his mother during his recovery from a shoulder injury. Handed a 12-month ban, dated from February 10, by the Australian Cricket Board's anti-doping unit after testing positive for the banned substances hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride.


2004: February - Makes his comeback for the Victoria second XI against Queensland Academy of Sport. Recalled to Australia's Test squad to tour Sri Lanka days later.
March - Having already taken five first-innings wickets, claims another five on the final day of the first Test in Galle to reach 501 Test wickets as Australia beat Sri Lanka by 197 runs. He is only the second player in history after Courtney Walsh to take 500 Test wickets.
May - Overtaken in list of leading Test wicket-takers by Muttiah Muralitharan, who goes on to claim Courtney Walsh's world record.
October - Overtakes Muralitharan by making Irfan Pathan his 533rd Test victim.
November - Breaks thumb and misses fourth Test in India.

2005: February - Flies out to Sri Lanka, answering Murali's plea, to help in the Tsunami relief effort.

March - Signs new two-year contract with Hampshire.
May - Hits maiden first-class hundred against Kent in the County Championship.
June - A joint statement with wife Simone announces the split of their marriage after 10 years.
July - Axed from his £130,000-a-year contract with Australian broadcasters Channel 9 for off-field behaviour.
July 24 - Takes six wickets in the opening Ashes clash of the summer, taking the final catch in a 239-run win.
July 5 - Produces an extraordinary ball to dismiss Andrew Strauss behind his legs as the opener shouldered arms.
July 6 - Takes his 600th Test wicket when he removes Marcus Trescothick in the third Test at Old Trafford.

September: Finishes the series having claimed 40 wickets but it was not enough to prevent England reclaiming the Ashes.

2006: November - Australia comfortably win the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, finishing with figures of four for 149.
December 5 - Warne's four for 49 obliterates England's second innings in the second Test at Adelaide, paving the way for the hosts to claim an unlikely victory.

December 18: Took his Test wickets haul to 699 after taking five wickets in the third Test victory over England in Perth.
December 21: Announces his decision to retire from international cricket.