Sutton ready for Muralitharan

Luke Sutton is excited by the prospect of keeping wicket to Muralitharan © Getty Images

Having coped with the move from struggling Derbyshire to expectant Lancashire last year, Luke Sutton is now preparing for the biggest challenge of his cricketing career - keeping wicket to Muttiah Muralitharan.

The amiable Sutton left Derbyshire in search of a fresh start in both cricket and life in general and enjoyed an impressive season at Old Trafford as the Red Rose came within a whisker of a first outright County Championship win since 1934.

Sutton faced the unenviable task of having to fill the gloves of long-serving club stalwart Warren Hegg, but he performed admirably behind the stumps and at number six.

Despite missing six weeks with a broken thumb, he ended the campaign with 41 first-class victims and 666 runs at an average of 51.23, a return which included a career-best 151 against Yorkshire - the highest score by any Lancashire wicket-keeper.

It was more than enough to justify his signing at 28 when the county could have turned to a younger face, such as their own second-team keeper Gareth Cross.

Sutton carries with him a wealth of experience, having captained Derbyshire under trying circumstances in his last two seasons at the County Ground but he admits his toughest task is yet to come.

Muralitharan's unorthodox style makes him difficult to face © Getty Images

After the World Cup Sri Lanka great Muralitharan will return to the county for a fourth stint, the master off-spinner looking to build on his incredible haul of 152 first-class wickets from just 20 matches for the county.

Muralitharan - second only to Shane Warne on Test cricket's all-time wicket-taking roster - could make all the difference as Lancashire bid to turn yet another runners-up finish into a long-awaited title.

"He is a genius," said Sutton, now 30. "I think it will be the biggest wicket-keeping challenge of my career and I'm really excited about it.

"He is so unique in his action and his manner - that's what makes him so difficult to play as a batsman and to keep wicket to.

"I've been putting in the preparation in the winter, watching the DVDs and simulating what it will be like but there is no way you can replace the real thing.

"When he gets here I'm just going to have to work really hard with him and try to pick up on his action and his bowling patterns and some of his thought processes.

"Everyone is excited about him being here, he is an out-and-out match-winner at the highest level. His record speaks for itself.

"There is no doubt that if we are playing well and he is playing well we will win a lot of cricket matches this year but I think the focus for the rest of the squad is we have to play very well ourselves, as good as last year and better."

The rain in Manchester meant valuable time was lost to the weather © Getty Images

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Lancashire missed out on the title to Sussex in the last round of fixtures last year, a finish that again left members bemoaning their ill luck with the weather.

Six whole days' play were washed out in home games alone and it was calculated that Lancashire lost around 1,000 overs in total compared to 150 for Sussex, eventual champions by 18 points.

It condemned Lancashire to a fifth runners-up finish in nine seasons and prolonged the wait for that seemingly elusive title for the county with the largest membership in the country.

Sutton sensed the huge expectation after making what he felt was a big career step by joining the county.

"Lancashire is just such a much bigger club than Derbyshire in every possible way and with that comes different pressures and different expectation levels, which is fantastic, it's healthy, good for somebody like me," he said. "I certainly noticed the difference last year.

"If we can start off well and then the likes of Murali and Brad Hodge join us then we'll be in a good position.

"As always the focus is to win the championship and I just want to really be part of helping the side to do that."

Sutton felt the need to leave Derbyshire to move on in life after tragically losing his girlfriend in a car accident in 2004.

He is proud of his first year at Lancashire and has high hopes for the summer ahead - and after after seeing a 36-year-old keeper win England recognition this winter, he has not given up on his international ambitions either.

"It was a big year for me, coming to such a big club and I had to prove myself to such a large amount of new people - players, supporters, press," he said.

"It was certainly a big challenge. Warren is almost an iconic figure at Lancashire.

"I really wanted to do well and I'm glad I did put in some strong performances and it's given me a good base from which to go on this year.

"I really still think I can play for England. You never know do you? Paul Nixon has just made his England debut at 36.

"I think the wicket-keeping position in the Test team is very much alive. It will be very interesting to see where the selectors go with it."