Sanath Jayasuriya announced his decision to quit as Sri Lanka captain for the second time in a fortnight, forcing the Sri Lankan selectors to look for a replacement before the home series against New Zealand later this month.

The 33-year-old Jayasuriya had resigned immediately after the World Cup but was asked by the Sports Minister to continue till at least the four-nation tournament in Sharjah.

But soon after Sri Lanka lost its match against Zimbabwe in this tournament, which ruled out its progress to the final, Jayasuriya made it known that the last league match against Kenya would be his last as captain.

With Sri Lankan cricket going through turmoil, he was not very forthcoming on the issue but he did confirm that it is all over for him as captain.

"I am no more the captain, so I should not comment on anything," he told PTI, when contacted on Thursday.

Sri Lankan Cricket Board chief Anura Tennekoon said he had "heard" that Jayasuriya wanted to quit the post. "But he has not told us anything officially," he said.

According to sources, Jayasuriya's deputy Marvan Atapattu is being considered a front-runner for the job. The board is expected to make an announcement on the replacement in a couple of days.

Jayasuriya has, however, emphasised that he would continue to be available for selection as a player.

Jayasuriya was appointed skipper during the 1999 World Cup after incumbent Arjuna Ranatunga was sacked. He led Sri Lanka to 18 victories in 38 Tests, and 66 wins in 116 one-day internationals.

In a related development, star off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said he is ready take on the mantle of captaincy if asked to.

"I am not interested in it [the captaincy]. If nobody else takes it, then I have no problem in becoming the captain. But I do not think I will be asked to take over the captaincy," the spin wizard said.

Murali said he does not have any idea why Jayasuriya wants to quit. "There must be something but I cannot read his mind," he said.

The champion off-spinner, who has taken more than 400 wickets in Test matches, said right now his only ambition is to continue playing for the country.

"I want to play for another 3-4 years. That is all. If I am able to do that I will finish with about 550-600 wickets in Test cricket and more than 400 in one-day internationals. But I am not aiming at the wickets. I just want to play 3-4 years. Wickets will follow," he said.