Didn't know Warne had three companies.
I would quit for my kids
By Phillip Koch and Kelvin Healy
January 8, 2006
SHANE Warne yesterday threatened to quit his international cricket career if his children could not cope with his pending divorce.
"If they start to get affected, then everything will stop," the Australian Test spin ace told the
Sunday Herald Sun.
"I'd have to stop everything."
Warne, 36, yesterday flew back to Melbourne from Sydney, where he played in the third Test against South Africa,
to spend "dad-time" with his children - Brooke, 8, Jackson, 6, and Summer, 3.
Friends said
Warne was furious his private life had again been made public by his wife, Simone, commenting on their split in a paid interview with a magazine.
The former model revealed she would not contemplate a reconciliation after cases of alleged infidelity by her husband.
"I don't really think he believed it was really over," she told
New Idea.
"I'm sure he thought we'd try again when he got back from the UK, but the trust is gone."
Simone was removed from key roles as a director of Warne's three family companies late last year - after the failure of his last-ditch bid to save their 10-year marriage.
She reportedly wants a $10 million settlement, but Warne's brother, Jason, who manages Warne's career, said the figure was "inaccurate".
Warne confirmed he intended "at the moment" to keep living in the multi-million-dollar Brighton mansion he and his wife built - and was looking forward to being a "hands-on" father.
"Being school holidays, it will be good to spend some time with the kids," he said.
"Hopefully . . . we will be able to go to the beach and do all those sorts of things."
Warne said Jackson was starting to enjoy cricket and "that's good because I can play cricket with him in the backyard".
"We've lost a few tennis balls over the fence - he likes whacking 'em, but he doesn't like collecting the ball after he has whacked it."
Warne said the downside to an international cricket career was the amount of time he was forced to spend apart from his family.
"With everything you do, unfortunately there are some sacrifices you have to make," he said.
"For me, playing international cricket for Australia and doing the best I can for a long period of time, my kids are the ones who miss out on some dad time.
"It's not to say they don't get time - they get a lot and I've had a lot of impact on them growing up.
"I think I'm a very good father."
Warne said whatever happened with his marriage he planned to spend time with his children in England when he returned to play county cricket for Hampshire.
"They will come over whenever they want - they will come over in the school holidays or I'll come back here during breaks," he said.
Warne will have a break from international cricket until Australia goes to South Africa in March.
"They (Cricket Australia) want to rest me for a few weeks to make sure my body heals - my back, my shoulder, my finger and my knee need a few weeks break," Warne said.
"It does get tougher when you're 36 years of age. You can't stop the body process."
Warne said he would continue to play cricket while he found it enjoyable - or unless his children could not handle the divorce.
He said he would return to Hampshire after the Test series in South Africa.
Cricket insiders insisted Warne aimed to continue playing until the 2009 Ashes tour of England - when he would be 40.
"I'm enjoying the guys and I'm enjoying the way we play," Warne said as he signed a limited number of reproductions of his portrait commissioned to hang at Lord's.
"How much longer I'll play, who knows? I think it's all about enjoyment, and the last couple of years have probably been the best I've had.
"Once the enjoyment goes, it will be time for me to go - at present I'm enjoying cricket."
Sunday Herald Sun
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0...-23212,00.html
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