Spin ace Muttiah Muralitharan calls time on Test career

Calling it a day: Muttiah Muralitharan will spin his last ball in Test cricket later this month

10 April 2012

Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan confirmed today he will retire from Test cricket later this month.

Muralitharan, the leading wicket-taker in both Test and one-day international forms of the game, will play his final Test against India in Galle starting on 18 July.

The 38-year-old has taken 792 wickets in 132 Tests and 515 wickets in 337 one-day internationals.

A statement on the Sri Lanka Cricket website read: "The world's leading wicket-taker and champion spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has decided to retire from Test cricket."

Muralitharan's decision to quit solely from Tests means he will still be available for next year's World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka.