Warne touched by Sachin, Lara gesture

LONDON, Jan 1: Australian spin legend Shane Warne, who announced his retirement from international cricket recently, has said that he was overwhelmed by messages from two of his greatest opponents — India's Sachin Tendulkar and West Indies' Brian Lara.

"I have been overwhelmed by the personal messages of support from people in all walks of life. Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, my two greatest opponents, have been in touch, along with John Howard (Aussie PM) and Russell Crowe (actor).

I've also had hundreds of notes from people I don't know but who say they have enjoyed watching me play cricket. Thank you," the Times quoted the spinner as saying.

Warne said that he had never planned such a long career in international cricket. Reminiscing his debut in international cricket, he said: "During our team New Year's Eve party last night, I couldn't help recalling the evening when I reckon my international career began.

"It was December 31, 1991, and I was sitting at the top of the old Sydney Park Royal Hotel working my way through a cooler of beer with Geoff Marsh and David Boon. Marsh turned to me and said: 'Mate, this is what playing for Australia is all about.'"

He added: "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that 15 years later I would still be in the business. It has been a wonderful, roller coaster ride. And now, as somebody used to sing, the end is near."

Ponting praises Buchanan’s input

Sydney: Australian captain Ricky Ponting has praised the work of coach John Buchanan for much of the team's success and believes his successor has an enormous role to fill.

While the headlines ahead of Tuesday's fifth Test against England have been dominated by the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer, Buchanan will also be the team coach for his last Test match.

Buchanan, 53, will stand down after the World Cup in the Caribbean in April and a search is underway for his replacement. Ponting's supportive comments come after leading England batsman Kevin Pietersen claimed the Australian coach was not respected by his own team.

Ponting said Buchanan and his support staff had long been overlooked but deserved to share the team's achievements. "They have to accept some of the accolades that come the team's way," he said on Monday.

"You look at the standard of cricket that we've been able to play over a long period of time. Just before John took over and certainly right through his stint as coach we've played some amazing cricket. Even this current run, we've won 11 matches on the trot."