Australian Cricket Board (ACB) chief executive James Sutherland told a news conference that Warne, who left without bowling a single delivery in the event, asked to go home after testing positive for diuretics.

A stony-faced Warne, speaking half-an-hour before Australia's opening game of their title defence, added: ``I'm shocked and absolutely devastated because I didn't take performance-enhancing drugs.

``I never have and don't condone them in any shape or form.''

Diuretics are often used to help weight loss or as a masking agent for other drugs.

Warne, the greatest leg-spinner in history and who was expected to play a major role in the Cup before retiring from one-dayers to concentrate on Test cricket, has been on a fitness regime for a year, losing around 13 kilogrammes.

He has just made a rapid recovery from a shoulder injury after it was first feared he might miss the World Cup.

``I took a fluid reduction tablet ... which I did not know contained a prohibited substance,'' Warne said.

``The tablet actually dehydrates you and gets rid of any excess fluid in the body.

Warne, who has been involved in several other controversies including being fined for accepting money from an Indian bookmaker in 1994, failed a test on January 22 in Australia.

The test was carried out by the Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA), who informed Warne of the failed test on Monday. He then told the ACB.

LAST HOPE
Sutherland said Warne would fly back to Australia on Tuesday for a test on the B sample.

``If the anti-doping committee finds that Shane has not committed an offence under the ACB's policy, we will ask the World Cup events technical committee for approval for Shane to be reinstated to the World Cup squad.

``We support ASDA in its random testing. At the same time, we commend Shane for his open and cooperative approach.''

If Warne is found guilty, he could face a maximum ban of two years under ACB rules.

Warne, speaking as his team-mates set off for the Wanderers ground for yesterday’s re-run of the 1999 final against Pakistan, added: ``I'm proud of the shape I'm in at the moment and that is due to nothing other than hard work and looking after myself with diet.

``I'd like to thank the World Cup squad for their support and friendship and I believe they have the talent and spirit in the team to win the World Cup with or without me.''

The news came as a major blow to the tournament organisers, still battling to persuade England and New Zealand not to boycott matches in Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Warne said he had decided to go home ``in the best interests of the team and the World Cup campaign ... the ACB is very supportive of that.

``Whether I play any part (in the World Cup) or not will be decided very shortly.

He said he had often undergone random drugs tests in Australia, adding: ``My previous tests have always come back negative and so will any future ones.''

India skipper Sourav Ganguly was one of the first to react.

CRICKETING CHAMPION
Ganguly told a press conference in Paarl: ``It's really sad news for world cricket. He is a champion of the game. To make it worse, it was the last World Cup of his career ... all the players in South Africa will miss him.''

Cricket, often regarded as a low-risk sport, has never had a major drugs scandal before, although two minor players in Australia have received drug bans in the past two years.

Warne partially dislocated his bowling shoulder against England on December 15 but returned to the team only a month later.

The 33-year-old, one of Wisden's five cricketers of the century, was man-of-the-match in the 1999 final.

He said last month that he would retire from the one-day game to concentrate on Test cricket and to help him avoid injuries.

The Victorian has taken 491 wickets in 107 Tests at an average of 25.71. He has 291 wickets in one-dayers at 25.82.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced in September that dope testing would be introduced at the cricket World Cup for the first time, in accordance with South African law.

It said the list of banned drugs would be specific to cricket and would differ from the International Olympic Committee's list.

In April 2001 Australian bowler Duncan Spencer was banned for 18 months after testing positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone. He had not played top-class cricket for seven years and was trying to recover from a back injury.