MUTTIAH Muralitharan has reassured Lancashire CCC that he will play for them next season.

The Sri Lankan spin wizard has spoken to Old Trafford coach Dav Whatmore who said: "He is still determined to come here."

Murali's future was thrown into doubt over the weekend by a statement from the Sri Lankan board, claiming that he was 'weak' and needed to rest after the World Cup. Lancashire however, have him under contract for the rest of the summer.

Red Rose spokesman David Edmundson said: "We fully believe that he will be playing at Old Trafford."

Murali, who destroyed England with 16 wickets in the Oval Test last summer, was called for throwing recently in Australia and that seems to have soured Sri Lanka's attitude to him playing county cricket.

But, if Murali is determined to come, there may not be anything Sri Lanka can do about it. Compared to what he receives for international cricket, less than £100 a day, Lancashire are offering him a small fortune.

Lancashire still have to register Murali with Lords' - and for that they need Sri Lankan permission, but it will only be a formality if the player insists on keeping to his contract.

Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka's star of the last World Cup, should not miss the next one which begins in 14 weeks at Lord's.

England physiotherapist Dean Conway reckons Jayasuriya's fractured right wrist will be immobilised for the next month-and-a-half, and it will take another fortnight before he will be able to return to cricket. Conway believes the only thing to prevent Jayasuriya launching Sri Lanka's defence of the World Cup against England in the opening match on May 14 will be if the bone does not knit properly - and he will be unlucky indeed if the arm is not healed in time to take on the world's best fast bowlers in cricket's premier event.

The dashing Jayasuriya had just reached a brilliant half-century against Australia yesterday when a delivery from Brendon Julian jumped off an unpredictable Perth pitch and smacked between his glove and forearm protector.

The left hander, a quiet and largely shy person, was in considerable pain yet, dispassionately, no Australian player approached him before he was assisted off the field to go to hospital.

Sri Lanka were making a bold attempt to catch Australia's big score of 274 for seven when Jayasuriya was hurt but the momentum was lost and their 45-run defeat means that England and the hosts will contest the best-of-three final.

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