Australia test captain Steve Waugh described Shane Warne's shock departure from the World Cup on Tuesday as "terrible" news.

"I'm devastated for Shane and for his family," Waugh told Reuters, hours after the leg spinner pulled out of cricket's showpiece event after failing a drugs test.

"I know how much it meant to him this last one-day tournament," Waugh added. "He wanted to make an impact on the world stage. I hope it works out for him because he's been great for cricket and great for Australian cricket.

"I personally want to remember all the great things he's done for the game."

Despite his great admiration for his former team mate, Waugh does not think the loss of Warne will hit Australia's hopes of retaining the World Cup too hard.

"They have got enough experience to get through and enough quality players to cope and I'm sure they'll see this as another challenge," said Waugh, who was sacked as Australia's one-day captain last February.

"I'm sure they will try and remain focused on the cricket, react positively and play as they always do, aggressively."

The 37-year-old Waugh said he was ready to fly to South Africa if the selectors decided to call him into the World Cup squad as a replacement.

"I'm still available if needed but, at the moment, my thoughts are just on this terrible news," Waugh said.