Sri Lanka star Muttiah Muralidaran was set to leave his side's tour of England on Thursday to fly back home to Kandy for a family bereavement.

But Murali, the cornerstone of the Sri Lanka attack, who has claimed 611 Test wickets, is due to return to London on Sunday in time to take his place in the side for the first Test of three against England starting at Lord's on May 11.

Off-spinner Muralitharan was left out of Sri Lanka's side for their final four-day warm-up match against England A at Worcester, which began Thursday, after claiming four wickets in his only match of the tour so far against Derbyshire last week.