Muralitharan signs up with Gloucestershire for t20s

Muttiah Muralitharan has signed a two-year deal with Gloucestershire exclusively for Twenty20 cricket. Muralitharan will be free of international commitments for the period, since he is set to call time on his international career at the World Cup. He retired from Test cricket last year with an unprecedented 800 wickets, and is the leading wicket-taker in one-dayers as well, with 517 dismissals. Following his international retirement, his time is likely to be divided between Twenty20 leagues, including the IPL, a potential guest spin-coach role in Australia, and the Gloucestershire assignment.

"I am really looking forward to playing for Gloucestershire," Muralitharan said. "It is a young exciting team and I hope I can add some experience to the mix. The last time I played at Bristol I took five wickets and I look forward to an exciting t20 competition with the Gladiators."

Announcing the news on the GCCC website, Gloucestershire chief Tom Richardson said: "Signing Muttiah Muralitharan has given everybody in the club a great boost and there is a real buzz about the place. He is someone who can add huge value and we are all very much looking forward to working with him."

The club's director of cricket, John Bracewell, and team captain Alex Gidman echoed Richardson's views. "This is an exciting, and once in a lifetime opportunity to work and play with one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the game," Bracewell said. "Whenever I have watched and observed Murali he has always had and shown an infectious love for the game of cricket. This is something that I personally am looking forward to working with."

I can't wait to meet and to play with Muttiah Muralitharan. From the players' point of view, it will be a great experience and I am sure we will learn a huge amount from him. This has given us a huge boost going into the 2011 season."

In addition to Muralitharan, Gloucerstershire are actively pursuing an overseas player to stay for the whole season.