Muttiah Muralitharan has pulled out of Sri Lanka's tour of England because of a family illness, the BBC web site reported today.
The 34-year-old off-spinner, the second most successful bowler in Test history with 635 wickets, will fly to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to be with his young son and is not expected to return.
A Sri Lanka team spokesman said: ''At the moment we really don't know what the situation is. We hope to find out more on Friday.''
Muralitharan was a huge thorn in England's side when Sri Lanka earned a 1-1 draw in the Test series. He had been expected to play in the third ODI tomorrow. Sri Lanka lead the five-match series 2-0.
