Murali signs for Gloucester

Sri Lankan cricket legend Muttiah Muralitharan will play for Gloucestershire’s Twenty20 side after agreeing a two-year deal with the English county, it was announced Wednesday.

Muralitharan, who retired from Test cricket last year and who will quit one-day cricket after the World Cup, will play in Gloucestershire’s next two English T20 campaigns, it was announced.

The 38-year-old will join up with Gloucester after playing in the the World Cup for Sri Lanka and Kochi in the Indian Premier League.

“I am really looking forward to playing for Gloucestershire.

It is a young exciting team and I hope I can add some experience to the mix,” said Muralitharan, the world’s leading wicket-taker in Tests and one-dayers.

“The last time I played at Bristol I took five wickets and I look forward to an exciting t20 competition with the Gladiators,” added Muralitharan.

Gloucestershire director of Cricket John Bracewell described the county’s signing coup as the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work and play with one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the game.

“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,” Bracewell said. AFP