Shane Warne

As one of the most marketable players in cricket, Warne earned extra money with endorsement deals. During the 2000 season, he wrote an exclusive cricket column for the Times of London. In 2001 Warne signed a promotional contract with British Channel 5 to paint his face with that network's logo to promote the soap opera series Home and Away. That same year, he signed an endorsement contract to plug cricket boots for British sporting goods manufacturer Mitre, ending a seven-year deal with Nike.

In December 2002, with 488 wickets recorded in his career in Tests, Warne discloated his shoulder in a match against England in Melbourne. A month later, he pronounced himself ready for the 2003 World Cup. "I don't think I have to prove anything to anybody about what I can do on the field on the big occasion," Warne explained to CricInfo News.

In January 2003, Warne announced he was retiring from one-day cricket after the World Cup to concentrate exclusively on Tests. With 288 wickets in one-day internationals, he ranked six in such contests. "I love playing cricket for Australia," he told CricInfo News, "but the No. 1 priority for me is to play Test cricket for as long as I can… This could prolong my Test career by five or six years, who knows?"