Shane Warne’s colourful cricket career is officially over and the Big Bash League has lost its biggest drawcard.

Warne, who captured 708 Test wickets, managed only four wickets at an average of 39.75 and economy rate of 7.95 an over while captaining the Melbourne Stars last season in the domestic Twenty20 competition.

He helped bring in crowds during his two seasons with the Stars and also livened up television broadcasts with his on-field commentary role.

But after being sanctioned for disciplinary breaches in his last two games, the 43-year-old won’t be back.

“The time is right for me to hang up my Big Bash boots,” Warne said on Monday.

“Juggling business, family and commentary commitments across two continents is not easy.

“I’ve always loved the game but now it’s time to observe.”

Warne will remain a Stars ambassador, while inaugural captain Cameron White regains the on-field leadership.

While Warne’s international career ended on an enormous high, as part of the 5-0 clean sweep of the 2006-07 Ashes series, his last games for the Stars will be remembered less fondly.

He was suspended and fined after his penultimate match, for tugging on the shirt of the Melbourne Renegades’ West Indian import Marlon Samuels and swearing at him, in front of a BBL record crowd of 46,681 at the MCG.

Warne returned for what proved his last match – the Stars’ narrow semi-final loss to the Perth Scorchers – but didn’t bat or bowl and was later fined $5000 for making teammate James Faulkner captain to avoid a potential penalty for a slow over rate.

The Stars on Monday announced their line-up for the coming summer, with the only new face 23-year-old ex-Scorchers batsman Marcus Stoinis.

Stars president Eddie McGuire tried to make a virtue of the lack of a new big-name signing, saying not having players come and go helped build a sense of team.

“The thing that I love about our team is it’s a team, it’s not just turn up and `I wonder who’s running around in our coloured jumper this year,'” McGuire told reporters.