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International Cricket

Muttiah Muralitharan said he wants to play till the next World Cup in 2011, putting to rest speculation of an early retirement.

Speaking to a TV channel after the match, Murali said: "I have to go when I am on top of my game rather than somebody wanting to get rid of me."

I will quit in the right time. Realistically, I would want to continue till the next World Cup (in 2011)."

Murali was full of praise for young spin sensation Ajantha Mendis, who has been in prime form.

"Mendis was born with the talent of variation. That helps him to get so many wickets. That would work nicely for me."

"Batsmen do not take too many chances against him and they try and play their shots against me. That will help me get wickets."

Commenting on the nature of the pitch in Dambulla, where his team trounced India by eight wickets, Murali said: "The wicket is slow but seams around a bit in the early overs. The average score here is 175 and 230 is a very good score. So, we were never under pressure chasing 147 for victory."

Murali said the Dambulla track was tricky for both the teams and Sri Lanka did not get any special advantage by virtue of being the home team.

"We don't play a lot of domestic cricket here. So we don't know much about the track. The wicket here has inconsistent bounce."

Though Mendis bagged the Man of the Match yet again, Murali broke the backbone of the Indian lower order.