Muttiah Muralitharan will have to wait until next week before he knows whether his bicep injury will rule him out of the inaugural World Twenty20.

Murali has been prevented from bowling in Lancashire's County Championship match against Kent at Canterbury, after suffering discomfort in his right arm on the first day.

Sri Lanka's master off-spinner has since played precious little part as Lancashire's hopes of victory have foundered on a second successive hundred from Matthew Walker (120no) and a third century in four innings from Kent captain Robert Key (170no) "I felt pain in my bicep straightaway after that ball, so I stopped," Murali recalled as he watched his team-mates toil in his absence during an unbroken double-century third-wicket stand which helped Kent reach 334-2 yesterday, and an overall lead of 344.

Lancashire physio Sam Byrne confirmed the reports on a scan on Murali's injury are expected back from a specialist in Leeds today.

But he stressed too that, irrespective of those conclusions, the world-beating slow bowler will fly as planned to Sri Lanka tomorrow - and a final decision will then be taken by medical staff there on whether he can take part in next month's Twenty20 showpiece in South Africa.

Meanwhile, wicket-keeper Luke Sutton has not given up hope that Lancashire can steal an unlikely victory against Kent.

"It was certainly a very long day for sure, in which Rob Key and Matt Walker batted incredibly well," said Sutton.

"I think we obviously lacked Murali on a fairly slow and true wicket."