Warne, McGrath Set to Retire

Warne, test cricket’s greatest wicket-taker, is expected to announce his retirement at a press conference tomorrow. According to Channel Nine, he will indicate that the Sydney Test will be his last.

In addition to being cricket’s greatest wicket-taker, Warne was made one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the century in 2000.

Should he retire, Warne’s influence will no doubt live on. He has dominated world cricket for nearly 15 years, taken more wickets than anyone else and changed the way the game was played. He debuted at the end of an era where pace bowling was dominant, and some experts feared for the future of spin bowling. Warne resurrected leg spin bowling, and has been a driving force behind Australia’s prolonged success ever since.

Also in breaking news, the great fast bowler Glenn McGrath is also rumoured to be retiring after the Sydney Test match. McGrath is Test cricket’s greatest fast-bowling wicket-taker, a man whose immaculate control re-defined the word accuracy.

Between them, thay have taken over 1,300 test wickets and have formed a lethal but unusual combination for Australia – a metronomic fast bowler and a mesmeric leg spinner. One thing they have in common – both have probably taken as many wickets with the force of their personalities as they have with their abundant skill.

For several years many have asked how Australia will fare once McGrath and Warne retire. If tonight’s news reports are accurate we will find out all too soon.