MELBOURNE, July 13: Muttiah Muralitharan, the world's leading all-time Test wicket-taker with 800, will play Twenty20 cricket with the Melbourne Renegades and will likely face his old spin bowling rival Shane Warne in Australia's Big Bash League.

Renegades’ chairman James Brayshaw confirmed late on Thursday that the 40-year-old Muralitharan, who retired from Test cricket in July 2010 and the one-day game last year, signed with the team for the upcoming season.

Muralitharan is currently playing Twenty20 cricket with Gloucestershire in England.

He has recently played T20 in India and Bangladesh and took part in New Zealand's domestic competition last season.

Warne, whose former world test wicket mark of 708 was broken by Muralitharan, is expected to play his second season with the Renegades' cross-town rivals, the Melbourne Stars.—AP