Tired Muralitharan leaves Lancashire on a high

Champion off-spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, has now finished his second successful stint with Lancashire, but there are concerns that his long-term fitness may have been jeopardised by non-stop cricket.

Murali signed off in style by claiming nine wickets in his last appearance for Lancashire against Kent. He ended the season claiming 45 wickets in just six games at an average of 18.48 per wicket. Only former English test bowler, Devon Malcolm, has more wickets so far in the CricInfo Championship, and he has taken his 46 in nine matches.

Murali's figures for the Lancashire make impressive reading: he has bowled 446 overs, 158 of which were maidens and the English batsmen have only been able to score an average of 1.88 runs per over. He's also grabbed four five-wicket hauls in an innings and one 10-wicket match bag.

He reaped greater rewards two years ago, taking 66 wickets from just six games, including an amazing eight five-wicket hauls and 10 wickets on five out of the seven occasions he played.

This time playing in soggy April and May possibly handicapped him. In 1999 he played in dryer conditions towards the end of the season. His novelty value has also worn off and batsmen have developed strategies for keeping him at bay, most famously Nasser Hussain's successful policy of 'kicking him or hitting him.'

In 1999 Murali may also have benefited from the comforting presence of Dav Whatmore. This time he played under Bob Simpson, the former Australian captain, who was the Australian coach during the controversial 1995-96 Test series when Murali was first called for throwing.

Muralitharan certainly worked hard for his wickets, bowling 50 over marathon spells on more than one occasion, and they are fears that he could suffer from fatigue, as Sri Lanka embarks on a busy international schedule.

He broke down last year in South Africa with a groin injury before the final Test, ending a 25 run of consecutive Test Matches. Another groin injury sustained in New Zealand left him 'undercooked' for the First Test Match against England in Galle.

His sudden injury problems led to the Sri Lankan physiotherapist Alex Kontouri calling for his workload to be reduced to protect his long term future. He has now been playing for five months on the trot and will not be able to put his feet up until October.