Murali given the all-clear

Muttiah Muralitharan has been cleared to bowl again by his Australian surgeon and may yet be able to make Sri Lanka`s tour of New Zealand which starts next month (Dec 21). It had been feared that the offspinner Muralitharan, 32, would not be available until late January as he recovered from surgery to his right shoulder carried out in August by his Australian surgeon, Dr David Young.

But, after flying to Melbourne for a consultation and receiving the all-clear from Dr Young, Muralitharan can start bowling immediately. "He could start bowling, gradually increasing the frequency for the next month," the manager Kushil Gunasekera is quoted as saying on the foxsports.com website. Muralitharan's comeback date will ultimately depend on his progress, and he will probably be urged to err on the side of caution and not rush back into action.

He has not bowled for three months since pulling out of the second Test against South Africa after the build-up of a painful cyst around the nerves in his shoulder. Young drained the cyst and cleaned up some of the cartilage around the joint. And, despite being out of bowling action, he has stepped up his weights work at the gym.

Meanwhile, the legspinner Upul Chandana will undergo medical tests in Singapore for an unnamed ailment.