SHANE WARNE is expected to announce his retirement from international cricket after the last Ashes Test, according to reports in Australia this morning.

Controversial leg spinner Warne, 37, is one wicket away from becoming the first bowler in Test history to claim 700 wickets and is ready to step down after the final Ashes Test in Sydney, which concludes on January 6.

And Glenn McGrath, who has a world-record 551 wickets for a fast bowler, is also set to announce his retirement.

Warne has played 143 Tests since his debut in 1991/92 against India in Sydney.

His career has frequently been dogged by controversy and he pulled out of the World Cup in 2003 after testing positive for the banned substances hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride after taking a diuretic given to him by his mother during his recovery from a shoulder injury.

He was banned for 12 months but returned to the Test side early in 2004.

In 1998 Warne admitted he and Mark Waugh had passed on pitch and weather reports to a man later found to be working for a betting syndicate.