Cricket: Spin stars tipped to play here

Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne - the two most successful bowlers in cricket history - are tipped to be included in a World XI to play against New Zealand this month.

No 1 and 2 in terms of test cricket's highest wicket-takers, the box-office pair will provide a shot in the arm if confirmed for the three-match series, not to mention a serious challenge for any New Zealand batting line-up.

Their presence looms as a novelty for cricket supporters, as Warne has not played an ODI since returning a positive drugs test at the start of the 2003 World Cup, and Muralitharan has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since August.

However, both have been named in the World XI for Monday night's Cricket-Aid charity match at Melbourne, and the Herald understands that both have expressed interest in carrying on to play in New Zealand.

The last-ditch effort to bring a World XI to New Zealand was forced on organisers after the abandonment of the Sri Lankan visit, and the subsequent eight-week hole in the home international programme.

Apart from the spin wizards, other players believed to have made positive noises about the proposal include Australians Justin Langer, Michael Bevan, Andy Bichel, Greg Blewett and Nathan Bracken, Sri Lankans Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas, South Africa's Lance Klusener and England's Darren Gough.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden said he was becoming more optimistic about the future of the series, and was hopeful of more developments over the next 48 hours.

"Certainly, if the players that have been mentioned so far emerge as confirmations then we'd be very happy - because we've always maintained that we needed a top quality team.

"But we're still mindful that we need the individual players to sign off on the proposal, and that the decision will eventually come down to the stance of the relevant national and local administrations."

Organisers have reported widespread support for the world series from both players and their respective players' associations, and Snedden said he couldn't speak highly enough of the efforts of FICA head Tim May and NZCPA boss Heath Mills.

"Tim and Heath have been absolutely magnificent in trying to make this work, and NZC have certainly appreciated their involvement," he said.

Snedden also emphasised that, if the World Series went ahead, it was important for the New Zealand cricket pubic to realise that there would be a commercial component to the games, unlike Monday night's charity match.

"The substitute series isn't really seen as a profit-making venture; in fact it's almost guaranteed to run at a loss," Snedden said.

"But by the same token, some of our primary objectives are to provide international competition for the cricketing public, to give the Black Caps further preparation for the upcoming Australian series, and to create a vehicle to assist with tsunami relief funding.

"There's still a couple of hurdles to get over, but I've been encouraged by the response and hopefully it will all come to fruition."

Mills said last night he was now "pretty confident" the series would proceed. He was only waiting on final confirmations, an he'd received "overwhelming support" for the initiative.

"We've got a list of 19 or 20 players who have indicated their willingness to be involved, and from that group the FICA board will select a 13-squad," he said.

"I think it's going to happen."