Let me rest, pleads Murali

Muttiah Muralitharan, the man of the series against England, has urged Sri Lanka's team management and selectors to give him sufficient time to recuperate and prepare for Australia's Feb/Mar tour of Sri Lanka.

Muralitharan was the key to Sri Lanka's 1-0 series win, producing one of his finest performances of his career as he unveiled a newly mastered wrong'un that turned wickedly and regularly deceived England's batters.

But it was hardwork for Muralitharan, who spent much of the tour nursing a sore shoulder. In all, he reeled of 231.4 overs to take 26 wickets and 12.30 apiece. Only in the final test did the rest of the attack support him properly.

Deep down, Muralitharan, now 31, knows that his body is now feeling the strain and he's concerned about the longevity of his career. His stated aim is to bow out after the 2007 World Cup providing injuries don't force him out of the game sooner.

Now he wants the selectors to allow him to play less domestic cricket (we assume he will not then go off to the UK to play more County Cricket) so that he's in peak condition for his international commitments.

"They made me play in the Premier League and I suffered a sore shoulder during the England series," he said after the third Test. "If they are going to play me in the Provincial Tournament as well it is going to be difficult for me when the Australians come. I love bowling but I need more rest and should play less domestic cricket."

Muralitharan took Graham Thorpe, England's hero during the 2002 tour and their most skilful player on the subcontinent, out of the equation, dismissing him five times out of six, mostly with the wrong'un that either trapped him lbw or had him stumped between bat and pad.

Michael Vaughan admitted that England had struggled against the delivery: "The new delivery he has got caused us a lot of problems. All our batsmen have struggled against it. It's one thing picking it and another playing it."

Muralitharan also believed that the delivery had been crucial to his success: "It troubles batsman like Graham Thorpe. The last time he played me easily because the ball was not coming in. He was waiting to cut and pull me. This time the ball was coming as well so he got out to me five out of six times. Batsmen now don't know which way it is going to turn and that makes it very hard for them," he explained.

Muralitharan now has 485 Test wickets from 85 matches. He's six wickets short of drawing level with Shane Warne (491) and 35 wickets away from Courtney Walsh's (519) world record. Barring injury, he should have claimed that record by April 2004, sometime during Sri Lanka's tour of Zimbabwe.

"I think breaking Courtney's record is now in my hands. I am just 30 or 40 wickets behind it and with 3-4 years I will easily go past it now. It depends on how well Shane Warne bowls as to who gets there first though."

If Muralitharan continues bowling like he did during the England series, and assuming he is not sidelined by injury, then Muralitharan can be expected to win the race.