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Warne contemplates quiting

Shane Warne is considering retiring from cricket despite spearheading Australia to victory in the World Cup

The leg-spinner, Man-of-the-Match in Australia's crushing eight-wicket win over Pakistan in last Sunday's World Cup final, said he would make up his mind within the next month.

"I will take the next few weeks to decide which way I will go and have a good think about everything and enjoy winning the World Cup," Warne told a news conference.

"To be home makes you realise that there are important things in life ... and my priorities lie with my family."

Arriving in Melbourne, Warne met for the first time his baby son Jackson, who was born to wife Simone during the World Cup. He then joined his teammates for a ticker-tape parade of the city.

Warne said he had become disillusioned with the grind of touring, and was tired of the constant criticism of his performances since he returned from shoulder surgery at the start of the year.

The ace spinner was dropped from the Australian team during their tour of the West Indies, but bounced back to form to emerge the leading wicket-taker of the World Cup, winning Man-of-the-match award in Australia's last two matches.

He said he was also sick of the media's fascination with his private life and the way it was affecting his young family.

"Some things affect your family, and when they start to affect your family then that is when you have to assess what you are doing," Warne said.

Warne's teammates have urged him not to quit, telling him to take a short break from the game to re-charge his batteries.

"He still has a lot of cricket in him," Australian captain Steve Waugh said. "Whether he has the desire is his business. He would be a big loss if he happened to give it away now, which hopefully he won't.

"As a teammate, I would like to see him kick on because he is still a match-winner in any form of cricket."