Warne axed by Channel Nine

Shane Warne has been axed by the Australian broadcaster Channel Nine - a contract worth $300,000 per year - due to his off-field conduct. Warne had been an employee of Nine for more than a decade, but the company's management inserted a clause in his last contract allowing them to terminate it if his behaviour was unsatisfactory.

Following the break-up of his marriage over the past month and the attention he drew to the UK's tabloid press, the station owner Kerry Packer made the decision amid fears of tarnishing the station's image. Warne showed great promise commentating for Nine during his 12-month drugs ban throughout 2003, an experience he was said to enjoy immensely.

Jason Warne, Warne's manager and brother, told the Courier-Mail the move was extremely disappointing given the length of the relationship. "It [commentating] was something Shane was looking forward to doing in retirement," he said. The Nine spokesman Lynton Taylor refused to comment.