COLOMBO, Dec 23: Master Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on Tuesday sounded a warning to batsmen, saying he was confident of breaking the world record with his new bag of tricks.

The 31-year-old off-spinner is the world’s third-highest wicket-taker with 485 victims in 85 Tests, after West Indian fast bowler Courtney Walsh (519 from 132 Test matches) and Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne (491/107).

“I think breaking Courtney’s record is within my reach,” Muralitharan told the Daily News after leading Sri Lanka to a series-clinching win over England.

“If I play for three or four more years I can easily go past the record. It depends on how Warne bowls. It depends on who gets there first.”

The race for the world record has now been confined to Muralitharan and Warne following the retirement of Walsh in 2001.

The two spin wizards will renew their rivalry on Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka early next year, when Warne will be available for selection again after serving a 12-month suspension for testing positive for a banned diuretic.

Muralitharan said batsmen would find it difficult to read his new delivery, which leaves right-handers instead of coming in to them like a normal off-break.

“When I bowl both ways the batsman doesn’t know which way the ball is going to turn. It’s hard,” he said.

England captain Michael Vaughan conceded his batsmen had failed to solve the Muralitharan puzzle in the recent Test series.

England suffered their biggest-ever defeat against Sri Lanka when they went down by an innings and 215 runs in the third and final Test at Colombo last week to lose the three-match series 1-0.

Muralitharan was their tormentor, with 26 wickets in the series.

“The new delivery that he (Muralitharan) has got caused us a lot of problems. It’s one thing seeing it and another to play it,” said Vaughan.

Muralitharan, carrying Sri Lanka’s bowling burden since his Test debut in 1992, said he was capable of repeating his performance against the Australians, provided the selectors gave him enough rest before the series begins.

“I love bowling, but I also need rest,” said Muralitharan, who has suffered shoulder and groin injuries.

He bowled an astonishing 231.4 tight overs in the England series, but constantly required an ice-pack treatment for his bowling shoulder.

“I suffered a sore shoulder during the England series. If they (selectors) are going to play me in the provincial (domestic) tournament as well, it will be difficult for me when the Australians come,” he said.—AFP