NOTTINGHAM: Even though Nottingham has recently been listed as the murder capital of Great Britain the majority of its 250,000 citizens are amusing, generous and kindly people. That is to say they provide the perfect backdrop for the final appearance in a Test in this country by Muttiah Muralitharan, one of the all-time great spinners. I trust they will give him a farewell worthy of his talent.

You will note that I did not call him a spin bowler. Despite all the measurements carried out by ICC, I still find it difficult to change my view that his action is illegal although others seem to have come round to the view that it is acceptable. I have had my say about what he does; I will only say that his action is accidental and those who follow may produce the same effect on purpose. But what is quite clear is that his method produces the most marvellous results in flight and turn and curve and the mystification of batsmen. The young ones were brought up watching him on television and yet they still cannot fathom which ball is which.

Effort in vain

Since the last Test at Edgbaston, where he took 10 wickets for 115, Murali has been talking about winning the third Test. "My 10 wickets at Edgbaston were a wasted effort because it was in a losing cause," he said. "I want more team success and I will be doing everything I can to produce a victory at Trent Bridge because it may be my last Test in England. It will mean I leave England on a high. I would love to draw the series from this point."

His Test record around the world — 624 wickets at 22.28 — is astonishing but his record in England where he has played only five Tests shows a return of 37 wickets for 790 runs, average 21.35 is just as remarkable. Overall, in 11 Tests here and in Sri Lanka Murali has taken 77 England wickets at 19.84. Many people will swear that Murali is Sri Lanka. It has not won away without him since it beat Pakistan in Faisalabad in 2004-05.

In-form Pietersen

He has never played at Trent Bridge in a Test before and the last time he was on the ground, playing for Kent, Kevin Pietersen hit a run-a-ball century. Pietersen will be looking for another hundred in this Test to set a record of four successive hundreds in four innings just as England will establish a new mark if it fields the same side. No England side has gone through a series of at least three Tests unchanged in this country.

By the end of the match, Geraint Jones, the England wicket-keeper who passed 100 catches and stumpings in this series, may have equalled the record for the number of innings without a nought. Jones has already played a record 28 Tests without a duck. Jim Burke, the Australian opening batsman, went 44 innings without a nought in the 1950s.

Sanath Jayasuriya, who was added to the party after they arrived in England, is being lined up to play in the match, probably at No. 7. "He will give us more depth," said Mahela Jayawardene, the captain. "When he first arrived we had plans we did not want to alter but now he is happy to play in the middle-order. We will continue to encourage our young openers."

The teams (from):

England: Andrew Flintoff (capt.), Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Geraint Jones, Liam Plunkett, Sajid Mahmood, Matthew Hoggard, Jon Lewis and Monty Panesar.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt.), Sanath Jayasuriya, Malinga Bandara, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Prasanna Jayawardene, Nuwan Kulasekara, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Jehan Mubarak, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Tharanga and Michael Vandort.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (South Africa) and Darrell Hair (Australia); TV umpire: Peter Hartley; Match referee: Alan Hurst (Australia).

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