Muralitharan unlikely to tour Australia

Hernia surgery for Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan before next month's triangular one-day cricket series in Australia will rule him out of playing here.

Team management favours immediate medical treatment to ensure Muralitharan is fit for next year's World Cup to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The Sri Lankan cricket board today officially announced Muralitharan has a hernia and could miss the tour of Australia.

"We know that he has hernia problem. The issue is how serious it is," said Charnika Munasinghe, a spokeswoman for the sport's national governing body. He will have more medical tests, and "when he will undergo surgery will depend on the findings," she said.

Muralitharan first reported hernia problems during the first Test in South Africa last week, but Munasinghe said the champion spinner wasn't in much pain and would compete in the second Test against South Africa before going home.

Any surgery would be pre-emptive, but would rule Muralitharan out of the limited overs series in South Africa and the subsequent three-nation tournament in Australia against England and the world no.1 Australians.