"Wanted to quit while I was on a high"

Muttiah Muralitharan feels his decision to quit international cricket after the World Cup was correct as he left on a high having ended as the highest wicket-taker in both forms.

"I could have gone on for another two or three years but I wanted to quit while in a good position and retire at a peak rather than on a downward turn," Murali told ICC Cricket World Radio Show.

For the legendary tweaker, it was about giving the youngsters a chance to prove themselves at the international level after having led the Lankan attack for close to two decades.

"I thought it was the right time to give the youngsters like Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv and Rangana Herath an opportunity. They are all itching for their chances because I have been playing for the last 18 years. I got my chance at 19 and now it's their turn," Murali said.

He might have finished his Test career with 800 wickets but it is the 1996 World Cup triumph that he feels was the best moment of his cricketing career.

Feeling nostalgic about the historic feat and proud too, Murali added: "World Cup win in 1996 was the biggest thing in Sri Lanka and we proved we could play good cricket and more teams came to play against us," he concluded.

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