Cricket:Glenn McGrath is relishing a "fantastic" Test finale at his hometown ground in Sydney after announcing he will retire from cricket after the World Cup next year.
The 36-year-old Australia seamer has been at the centre of speculation about his future ever since Shane Warne announced he was going to end his glittering career at the end of this Ashes series.
McGrath announced his plans for the future at a hastily-arranged press conference at the MCG this morning.
"Sydney will be my last Test match which will be a fantastic end for me because this is my home ground and my favourite ground in the world," he said.
"It's only in the last few games that I've really thought about it (retirement). It is a tough decision as well as being an easy decision.
"Everything is exactly where I wanted it to be but it is getting a lot tougher to leave home because the kids are growing up.
"I've still got four months of cricket left if it all goes well and I will sit back and take a look at things then. The last thing I want to do is rush into something else."
McGrath, who has a staggering 555 wickets from his 122 Tests, had refused to comment either way other than to claim the final two Tests against England in Melbourne and Sydney were "business as usual".
It was always thought McGrath would finish at the end of the forthcoming World Cup in the West Indies but speculation increased in the last week that he could finish earlier to help care for his sick wife Jane who is fighting cancer.
However, he will play on until the World Cup in March and April before calling it a day.
McGrath follows Warne as well as Damien Martyn in standing down from the international game. Martyn stunned Cricket Australia when he retired after the second Ashes Test.