Cricket club plans to rename ground after Warne

Sydney, Jan 3 (UNI) Shane Warne's local cricket club is all set to rename its home ground after the flamboyant leggie, who quits the game after the ongoing final Ashes Test.

According to an AAP report, the board of Premier club St Kilda will vote later this month to rename the Junction Oval to Shane Warne Ground.

Once they manage to clear the proposal, the club would then send it to the City of Port Phillip Council for approval.

''It's been the Junction Oval, the St Kilda Cricket Ground, for 151 years - we think a change of name would be appropriate,'' club president Ron Laird told Channel Nine.

''He's one of the cricketers of the century, two of which we've had at St Kilda - (Bill) Ponsford and Warne,'' he added.

Warne had played local cricket at the ground and also made his interstate comeback there after a 12-month doping ban.

Earlier, there was report that after quitting the game, Warne would adorn the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) through either a bronze statue or a renamed stand.

''The Age'' reported that the MCG trust seconded a suggestion by Premier Steve Bracks to honour the spin legend in a special way.

Trust chairman John Wylie said Warne would be honoured at MCG as ''probably Victoria's greatest ever cricketer'' and the form of recognition would be worked out with the Melbourne Cricket Club over coming months.

''It deserves more than five minutes consideration. These things stand for generations and we want to make sure we get it right,'' Mr Wylie said.

Premier Steve Bracks said, ''There is no doubt in my mind that Shane Warne is up there as one of the greats, and has done so well at the MCG.'' UNI XC AY PM KN1551