MELBOURNE, Feb 14: Shane Warne, back home from the World Cup after failing a drugs test, has appealed to the Australian media to leave his family alone.

Television crews were camped outside Warne’s home on Thursday.

Warne, 33, returned on Wednesday and admitted his mother had given him the pill which contained a banned diuretic.

“We understand there is a lot of public interest in this story, including Shane and our mum,” Jason Warne, the player’s brother and manager, said in a statement.

“We, Shane and I, are always very open and happy to talk to media. But at this stage, my family and I cannot make any further comment as we do not want to influence or compromise the hearing which is coming up in any way.

“My mum obviously cannot comment for the same reason. She is obviously upset about the whole situation and we ask you to respect her privacy at this tough time.

“There will be no further comment from anyone in the family until after the hearing.

“So please can you show some respect and leave us to go about our day-to-day business while we try to deal with the situation as best we can.”

Warne, wearing a blue singlet and a cap, was shown on Channel Nine news on Thursday looking sun-tanned and relaxed at home. However, his young son Jackson yelled out to the media: “Go away!”—Reuters