COLOMBO,  (Reuters) – Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan,  cricket’s leading international wicket taker, will retire from tests after this month’s first test against India, his manager said yesterday.

“Murali took a decision to retire from test cricket during the West Indies series in November but with an unscheduled Indian series coming up he has fast-tracked his retirement from  Test cricket,” Kushil Gunasekara said.

“The selectors want Murali to consider himself to be  available for the 2011 World Cup which Sri Lanka is partly hosting with India and Bangladesh,” Gunasekara added.

The 38-year-old off-spinner is unlikely to play in the  one-day Tri-Series against India and New Zealand next month but  may play one-day internationals in the build-up to next year’s  World Cup.

Sri Lanka are due to tour Australia in November where they will play three one-dayers and two Twenty20 Internationals and they have five one-dayers against West Indies in December.

Muralitharan has taken 792 wickets in 132 tests and 515  wickets in 337 one-day internationals since making his test  debut against Australia in 1992.

A statement from Sri Lanka Cricket said an official press  conference would be held “in due course” to announce  Muralitharan’s retirement.

“Mr. Muralitharan has had discussions with the National  Selectors, SLC officials and has had the blessings of His  Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Minister of  Sports, Hon. C B Ratnayake,” said a statement on the Sri Lanka  Cricket website.