Muralitharan named leading player of 2006 by Wisden

LONDON, Mar 27 (Reuters) Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has been named as the leading cricketer in the world for 2006 by the 144th edition of the Wisden Almanack, the sport's bible, which will be published tomorrow.

Muralitharan, who played 11 tests last year, taking 90 wickets, is the fourth player to pick up the award since it was inaugurated.

He follows Australians Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne and England's Andrew Flintoff.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year, the game's oldest honour dating back to 1889. The five are traditionally chosen for their ''influence on the English season''.

England team mates Monty Panesar and Paul Collingwood were also included in the top five, along with Pakistan's prolific run scorer Mohammed Yousuf and former England batsman Mark Ramprakash.

Reuters PDS DB2227