Shane Warne looks to life beyond cricket

He was widely regarded as a magician with the ball and the man from Victoria has indeed taken an awe-inspiring bow. Shane Warne, the man who reinvented the dreary leg spin in the 1990s decided on Friday to call it quits after a glitzy 23-year career which saw him baffle the greats and eventually turned him into one itself. (Related: Shane Warne - wine, women and wickets )

Shane Warne announced his rather sudden retirement on Friday but the Rajasthan Royals skipper already seems to have a plan in mind about his future. The Australian leg spinner tweeted on Friday night, "Yes I do feel I am bowling well enough to keep playing-that's not why I'm retiring-it's just time to move on and concentrate on other things".

Warne who has been widely regarded as the driving force behind guiding the young Rajasthan outfit to much unexpected glory in the past few seasons had already expressed his wish to stay associated with the Rajasthan team as a coach or as a mentor on Friday.

The 41-year-old also announced his plans after he returns to Australia after IPL 4, "I'm lucky to have some good business ventures on the go & sponsors I enjoy working with - more poker for 888 & more time with my foundation".

Warne, who had taken over 1000 international wickets while playing for Australia also recalled his journey as a sportsman. "It's been a big day today as cricket has been my life since I got in victoria squad in 88/89-23 seasons ago ! Sad , but excited by future !", he tweeted on Friday.

Warne played the dual role of a coach and a captain for the Rajasthan Royals and is highly respected amongst his teammates. Warne's leadership yielded many young talents including Ravindra Jadeja who also made his way to the Indian national side.

His most significant triumph with the Rajasthan team however, came in IPL's first season itself when he carried a rather inexperienced unit to win the trophy.