Muttiah Muralitharan has said he will retire from all international cricket after the 2011 World Cup. The 38-year-old offspinner, who had retired from Test cricket in July last year, will continue to play in domestic Twenty20 competitions.
"This World Cup will be my last outing," Muralitharan said. "My time is up. I have signed up to play for two years in the IPL. I am also looking at similar work in New Zealand and perhaps England."
Muralitharan, who holds the record for the highest number of wickets in both Test and one-day cricket was part of Sri Lanka's World Cup winning side in 1996. He is one of three spinners in Sri Lanka's squad for the 2011 tournament, the other two being left-arm spinner Ranagana Herath and Ajantha Mendis. "This is my fourth World Cup. We won in 1996 and came close in 2007 by reaching the final. This would be a memorable one for me and for Sri Lankan fans."
Since quitting Tests, Muralitharan has played only three international matches - two ODIs and a Twenty20 game during Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in October-November 2010. He has been rested from the side for the first two ODIs of the three-match home series against West Indies which starts on January 31, Sri Lanka's final commitment before the World Cup.
He played for Chennai Super Kings in the first three seasons of the IPL, including their triumphs in the 2010 edition of the tournament and the Champions League in the same year. He was bought by the new Kochi franchise in the 2011 IPL auction for $1.1 million.
In July, Muralitharan had said there were plans in the pipeline for him and former India legspinner Anil Kumble to open a spin-bowling academy in Bangalore. However, while announcing his retirement after the World Cup on Friday, he said he had no immediate plans to start coaching. "There are plenty of coaches and lots of talented people out there. I will take things as they come. For the moment, I am not looking at any coaching stints."
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