SYDNEY, Jan 22: Shane Warne has announced he will quit playing one-day cricket immediately after the World Cup in a bid to prolong his Test career.

The Australian leg-spinner told a news conference in Sydney on Wednesday he had decided to retire from the shortened version of the game to save himself for cricket’s more traditional contests.

“I’m going to retire from One-day International cricket when the World Cup finishes,” he said.

“The World Cup is once every four years and I thought it was a great opportunity for me to end my one-day career internationally.”

Warne has been troubled by shoulder problems in recent years and said the wear and tear of one-day cricket was finally taking its toll on his body.

“I love playing cricket for Australia but the number one priority for me is to play Test cricket for as long as I can,” he said.

“I’m only 33 and think I’ve still got a lot of cricket left for Australia.”

Warne said he had been considering retirement for a while but finally made up his mind after dislocating his shoulder in a limited-overs match against England last month.

“That sort of brought my thinking home about how hard it is on your body in one-day cricket,” he said.

“Everyone I’ve spoken too thinks it’s a pretty positive and smart decision.”—Reuters