Three days after becoming the highest Test wicket taker of all time, Sri Lankan spin master Muttiah Muralitharan was ordered to stop bowling his fearsome "doosra".

If he does, he could be suspended for up to a year.

Dogged for several years by allegations that he throws rather than bowls the ball, Muralitharan, who has a genetic defect which prevents him fully straightening his bowling arm, was reported to the International Cricket Council over a suspect action.

The suspicion relates only to his "doosra", a delivery that spins quickly away from a right-handed batsman.

"The report forwarded by Sri Lanka Cricket proves that the degree of straightening is well outside the ICC's specified levels of tolerance," said Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the sport's ruling body, the International Cricket Council.

"In the light of this finding, Sri Lanka Cricket has now advised the ICC that it has instructed Mr Muralitharan not to bowl this delivery in international cricket. The ICC supports this action."

The blow to the Sri Lankan spinner comes three days after he overtook retired West Indies paceman Courtney Walsh as the highest wicket taker in test history.

He took his 520th wicket against Zimbabwe in Harare to set the record and added one more to take the mark to 521.

Now he will have to add to the record without the help of his "doosra".

The ICC said that if Muralitharan went against the wishes of his board, bowled this delivery and subsequently was reported within 12 months of the initial report, the issue would progress to stage two of the ICC's process for dealing with bowlers with suspected illegal bowling actions.

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