World leading Test wicket taker Shane Warne [Images] says his off-field personal problems could hasten his retirement plans.

Warne, who has 583 Test wickets, recently separated from his wife Simone after sex allegations in British tabloid newspapers last month.

The 35-year-old Warne also had an alleged liaison with another woman in 2000 and failed a drugs test prior to the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, which resulted in a 12-month ban.

"I definitely think it will make me play shorter," Warne was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday. "I would rather not go into what they (the reasons) are but I will probably play shorter for these reasons.

"Unfortunately, we live in a society which is pretty judgmental on whatever you do.

"I have had to live with that. I have loaded the bullets myself a few times. I have made you guys' jobs very easy."

"I look back over the years when I've had things in my personal life that none of you guys knew about, times when things have happened and you have to try and play cricket and deal with them as well.

"Generally the tougher the situation the better I respond. But nothing like this has ever happened in my life before and it's not the way I wanted it to be."

Warne's comments came just ahead of the first Ashes Test against England [Images], which begins at Lord's on Thursday.

He had left open the option of playing beyond the 2006-07 Ashes series in Australia, though had ruled out playing at the 2007 World Cup in West Indies [Images].

BOWLING WELL

Warne said he felt he was bowling as well as ever, despite recent questions being raised about his form by former England captain Nasser Hussain and Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer [Images].

"As far as I am concerned my bowling is how it is," said Warne. "It is different to how it was when I first started and it's different to how it was five years after I started and it's different to how it was four years ago.

"Does that mean I am better or worse? I don't know. I went to India, Sri Lanka [Images] and played Pakistan -- three of the best countries against spin ... and I have had my most successful year so I must be doing something right."

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Warne took 70 wickets last year, though his best return was in 1993 when he took 72 wickets.

"If I am no good any more I wouldn't be getting those results," he said.

"Whether I am at my absolute peak, I think that's physically impossible because of operations on my shoulders, fingers and knee, I can still be good enough to get wickets in international cricket.

"I have some good days and some bad ones.