Muttiah Muralitharan

Wembley CC are planning to strengthen their spin attack – by sensationally signing the most prolific bowler in the history of Test cricket.

Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who has taken more Test wickets than any other bowler, has registered to play for the Middlesex County League Division Two club.

Batsmen need not panic just yet as ‘Murali’ cannot turn out for Wembley during the current campaign – but there is every chance that his famous ‘doosra’ delivery will be seen at Vale Farm in 2013.

The shock move has come about through the 40-year-old’s friendship with Wembley batsman Chulananda Da Silva, who has known Muralitharan since they grew up together in Sri Lanka.

Wembley’s first team captain Adrian Green told london24.com: “They’re good mates – Chula’s always talking to Murali and he said he was willing to play a game or two for us.

“Unfortunately we’ve been told by the ECB that he’s still classified as a first-class player because he’s been playing Twenty20 for Gloucestershire, so he won’t be available this season.

“But we have registered Murali with the league, so he can’t play for anyone else, and I certainly wouldn’t put it past us to have him playing for Wembley next year.

“It’d be good publicity for the club and the league and hopefully it’d help us to attract other players too. We’ve had professionals here before, but no-one remotely in Murali’s league!”

Former Middlesex and England bowler John Price and Indian international Devang Gandhi are both ex-Wembley players, but Muralitharan would undoubtedly be the highest-profile name in the club’s history.

Now retired from international cricket, he is the only man with 800 Test victims to his name and his total of 534 wickets in one-day internationals is also a world record.