SRI LANKAN spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan has arrived in Canterbury on an SOS mission to save Kent from championship and limited overs relegation.

Five seasons ago Muralitharan helped Lancashire pull off a similar escape act by taking an astonishing 66 wickets in just 12 appearances – a feat that helped make Muralitharan one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year for 1999.

The 31-year-old attracted controversy back in 1996 after being called for throwing in the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne by umpire Darrell Hair.

But, once an ICC technical committee cleared his action, Murali’s career took off and he has since developed into one of the game’s finest, most revered off-spinners.

He arrives with just eight national league games and six, four-day matches remaining and is well aware of the tough job that lies ahead.

But Muralitharan’s presence soon after the arrival of Pakistan’s Mohammad Sami added to the return to fitness of Martin Saggers (knee), Alamgir Sheriyar (hand) and Amjad Khan (fractured shin), will give Kent one of the best-balanced and most feared attacks in the domestic game.

In his sole championship appearance against Kent in July 2001, Murali finished with match figures of nine for 139, only to finish on the losing side.

One of his victims in that game was David Fulton, who has since taken over the Kent captaincy and is delighted to welcome Murali onto to his ‘escape committee’.

"Although they are only together for a few weeks it’s great from a captain’s point of view to have two great bowlers like Murali and Sami to call upon," said Fulton.

"I’m looking forward to putting a big score on the board in next Wednesday’s festival game against Essex and unleashing the pair of them.

"We’ve got one of the best attacks in county cricket now, so if we keep scoring runs as we have in recent weeks then we should win some games.

"Morale has been dented by the early season injuries, but they are clearing up now and if we can put out our full-strength side we are a team to be taken very seriously.

"We look to beat everyone we play, but there’s an expectancy that we will do a job on Essex. Nasser probably won’t be playing and we don’t fear their bowlers, but they will fear Murali and Sami, not to mention the likes of Saggers, Khan and Ealham."

Before then, the finger-spinner from Kandy will make his Kent debut in Scarborough on Sunday where Spitfires do battle with basement side Yorkshire.

The Phoenix have recorded just one win all season and victory for Kent could yet condemn them to the drop while lifting Fulton's men out of the relegation zone.