Warne bows out of cricket on a low

NEW DELHI, May 19 (AFP): Shane Warne bows out of professional cricket Friday after a frustrating final Indian Premier League season replete with rows, fines and other off-field distractions. The Australian legend announced earlier this month that he would retire as a player after the tournament, making Friday's clash between his Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians the last performance of an extraordinary 15-year career. "I've had a great time -- but it's time to say goodbye to IPL," the Aussie superstar wrote on Twitter on May 6, announcing the end of his association with the tournament that offered the last chance to watch him in action. The 41-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best bowlers of all time, retired from international cricket in 2007 after resurrecting the art of leg-spin and becoming the first player to take 700 Test wickets. Friday's game will be the last for the Rajasthan Royals after a poor run that has seen them fail to qualify for the play-offs despite starting as one of the favourites. After scripting a title triumph with a rag-tag team in the first edition of the Twenty20 IPL competition in 2008, Warne's final season in charge of Rajasthan did not offer the fairy-tale end he would have wished for. He started well on the pitch, initially managing to fox batsmen with his turn and flight, but gradually lost his rhythm as even inexperienced youngsters began hitting him for sixes with ease and regularity.