Muralitharan, who has a record 770 Test wickets, recovered from the knee injury and was included in a 15-man squad for the first Test at Galle from August 18, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a media release.

Wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene, who also missed the three Tests against Pakistan because of a finger injury, was back in the squad for the first of two Test against the Black Caps.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who kept wickets against Pakistan in place of Jayawardene and suffered injuries in the hand and face during the third Test, was also named in the squad.

The second Test will be played at the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo from August 26.

Sri Lanka’s Test squad:

Kumar Sangakkara (Capt.), Malinda Warnapura, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Prasanna Jayawardene, Rangana Herath.

The world’s leading Test and One-day bowler missed the first Test in Galle, which Sri Lanka won by 50 runs, after hurting the patella tendon in his right knee during training last week.

Team manager Brendon Kuruppu said Muralitharan, 37, had improved considerably but will sit out the second Test on his home ground at the P Sara Oval as a precautionary measure.

“He won’t be playing the Test, but that’s more as a precaution than anything else,” Kuruppu said. “We are confident Murali will play the third Test.”

The off-spinner, who has taken a record 770 Test and 505 One-day wickets, was not missed as Sri Lanka pulled off a dramatic win in the Galle Test to take the lead in the three-match series.

Pakistan, chasing a modest target of 168 runs, collapsed from a comfortable 71-2 to 117 all out, losing their last eight wickets for 46 runs on the fourth morning.

Sri Lanka’s hero was left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who was flown in from England where he was playing league cricket two days before the Test to replace Muralitharan.

Herath, 31, who had 36 wickets in 14 previous Tests, grabbed a career-best 4-15 from 11.3 overs in the second innings to wreck Pakistan and win the man of the match award.

Pakistan, hoping to level the series, will still be delighted at Muralitharan’s absence from the P Sara Oval, the home of his long-time club, Tamil Union.

The wily bowler has taken 52 wickets in nine Tests at the ground where Sri Lanka have won their last four Tests on a firm wicket regarded as the most sporting in the island nation.

The tourists last played at the ground in 2002, losing by 41 runs to Australia during a series that was shifted to neutral venues due to security concerns in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s initial worries about their inexperienced bowling attack — three of the four specialist bowlers made their debut at Galle — proved unfounded as Sri Lanka managed totals of 292 and 217.

Left-arm pace bowler Mohammad Aamer was the star with three wickets in each innings, while fellow-rookies Abdur Rauf and Saeed Ajmal shared eight scalps between them.

But the batting let the tourists down with none of the top three, Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor and skipper Younus Khan, getting among the runs.

Veteran Mohammad Yousuf hit a century in the first innings on his return to Test cricket after an 18-month absence, but his dismissal for 12 on the fourth morning turned the tables on Pakistan.

“The younger guys in the team could not take the pressure of a Test match,” said Younus. “When I am under pressure, I go back to the basics. They should do the same.”

The seasoned duo of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and all-rounder Abdur Razzaq, who were surprisingly left out of the Galle Test, will fancy their chances of playing the second match.

Younus indicated the final composition will not be decided until Sunday morning after a good look at the wicket and weather conditions. Thundershowers are forecast during the match.

Harbhajan missed the ODI series against Sri Lanka as he is recuperating from a hamstring injury. Among the Indian batsmen Gautam Gambhir continues to be the highest-ranked at the 10th spot.

Gambhir’s opening partner Virender Sehwag was the next best Indian at 12th while Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman retained their joint 16th place.

West Indies’ paceman Jerome Taylor has become the highest-ranked Test bowler from his country since the retirement of Courtney Walsh in 2001 following his impressive performance against England in the first Test.

The 24-year-old had the match figures of 29-8-85-8, including 5-11 in the second innings as England was dismissed for 51 in 33.2 overs, zooming him up to sixth spot from 17th .

The bowling list is still led by Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

The legendary off-spinner dismissed Indian opener Gautam Gambhir to become the most successful bowler in the history of the game, having already held the record of most Test wickets (769).

Muralitharan, who had equalled Akram’s record in the previous match against India, took his 503rd wicket when Gambhir edged one to wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara. He has a mind-boggling 1272 wickets to his name in both forms of the game.

The 36-year-old spinner achieved the feat playing in his 328th match while Akram played 356 matches for his tally.

Muralitharan, who equalled the record in the last one-dayer at the same venue when he had dismissed Yuvraj Singh, dedicated the achievement to his family and countrymen, saying without their support it wouldn’t have been possible.

“When I was young everyone helped me – from the captain, to the cricket board. I dedicate this feat to my family, my wife and to all the Sri Lankans. They stood by me in my good as well as bad times,” he said.

Naming Viv Richards as his childhood idol, the 36-year-old spinner rued his luck, never getting to bowl to the West Indian batting legend.

“My childhood hero was Viv Richards. I always looked up to him, but I couldn’t play with Richards although I played with greats like Kapil Dev,” he said.

Muralitharan has taken five wickets in a Test innings on 66 occasions and collected 22 10-wicket match hauls but his career has been plagued by controversy because of his unusual bent-arm action which relies on a super-flexible and strong wrist.