Muttiah Muralitharan is planing to announce retirement from all the formats of international cricket after he’s done with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
However, this highest wicket taking machine will still be playing the domestic Twenty20 format of the cricket game for the local lads of his country.
So in an interview to the press, he confidently said that this will be his last World Cup, his time is up. He has signed up to play for two years in the Indian Premier League. He is also looking at similar work in New Zealand and maybe England.
He further said that this is his fourth World Cup. His team won in 1996 and came close to victory in world cup 2007 by reaching the final match against Aussies. This would be a memorable one for him and for his every Sri Lankan fans.
Murlitharan was part of the glorious Sri Lankan team when they made themselves recognized to the world by winning the Cricket World Cup in 1996 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan.
He isn’t only highest wicket taker in test cricket but he has also achieved same land-mark in ODI format of the game. There are 3 spinners included in the squad for this year’s cricket world cup, which includes Muttiah Muralitharan himself and two other spinners Ajantha Mendis, and Ranagana Herath.
After quitting tests format, he has played only a couple of ODI matches and one International Twenty 20 match while he was on the tour of Aussie Land during Oct-Nov 2010.
He will be taking some rest for the first 2 One Day International matches out of three matches in a series against Windies which will be starting from January 31, 2011. And that would be Sri Lanka’s last official cricket match before this year’s World Cup.
He played for the Chennai Super Kings during the 1st three seasons of the famous Indian Premier League, including their triumphs in the IPL 2010 edition of the tournament and the Champions League in that same year. He was sold out by the new Kochi franchise in the year 2011 Indian Premier League auction for US$1.1 million.
It was month of July in year 2010 when Muttiah Muralitharan had informed that he is planning a project of starting a Spin Bowling academy in Bangalore, India (accompanied by Ex-Indian Leg-Spinner Anil Kumble).
However, On Friday when he was announcing to the press his retirement plans that would take place after the cricket world cup 2011, he further elaborated that he currently has no intentions of start coaching for his national team. There are many coaches and plenty of talented guys out there. He is aiming to take things as they come. But for the time being, he is not looking at any coaching stints.