Gloucestershire have been handed a massive boost ahead of the new domestic season with the news that Muttiah Muralitharan has secured a work permit to play county cricket.
The Sri Lanka spin-king had signed a deal to represent the Gladiators in this season's Friends Life t20, however new visa regulations in the United Kingdom put the move on hold.
But, Murali's manager Kushil Gunasekera confirmed on Wednesday that the British authorities had expedited his visa and he will join Gloucestershire in June.
"He (Murali) wishes to thank the British authorities for quickly issuing him with a visa," Gunasekera told AFP.
Muralitharan, who turns 39 this month, retired from international cricket after Sri Lanka's World Cup final defeat to India in Mumbai.
