London: Shane Warne admits the problems he’s faced off the field will hasten his retirement.

Having emerged from another sex scandal ? which ultimately led to a split from his wife ? to join his Australian teammates for the upcoming Ashes series, Warne said he was keen to return.

But with the trials of his private life, he now can envision himself stopping before he might have previously.

“I definitely think it’ll make me play shorter,” he said, without specifying why or when he would retire. “I’d rather not go into what they are but I’ll probably play shorter for those reasons. I’m not sure when that is.”

At 35, Warne doesn’t plan to play in another Ashes series in England, by which time he will be approaching 40.

Last month, Warne and his wife Simone said they were splitting. Warne’s contract with an Australian broadcaster also was cancelled after widespread reports of his extramarital affair involving a 25-year-old student in England, the latest scandal in a long history of lurid media coverage detailing Warne’s infidelities.

The world’s leading wicket-taker said the controversy hasn’t affected his ability to return to the Australian squad ahead of the first Test, which starts at Lord’s Thursday.

“It’s been great to be back with the lads. They’ve all been very supportive of me and I think they’re enjoying having me back, contrary to what some people think,” Warne said.

And, while he admitted it would be difficult, he was confident the drama would have no bearing on his form.

“The tougher the situation the better I generally respond,” he said. “Nothing like this has ever happened in my life before and it’s not the way I obviously wanted it to be. They’re things I have to deal with and hope I can deal with them the best way I can and I can concentrate on the cricket and be there for the guys, which I’m sure I can.”

“It’s a period in your life that nobody would like to be made public, some things should remain private, but unfortunately that’s the way the world works these days,” he added. “You have some good days and some bad ones. Some days you’re trying to move on and you’re moving on, and on other days, it’s tough to move on ... But I have to.” (AP)