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| Sunday, 16 May 2004 |
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Murali can skip Aussies tour says SLC president Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from Zimbabwe BULAWAYO, May 15 - Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Mohan de Silva said that his board would not oppose if Muttiah Muralitharan made a request not to tour Australia next month. Speculation has been rife here that Muralitharan is considering skipping the two-Test tour to Australia after the Australian media began a witch hunt on him soon after he broke West Indian fast bowler Courtney Walsh's world record a week ago. Muralitharan became the top wicket-taker of all time with 521 wickets and is being chased by Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne with 517 wickets. "If Murali makes a request not to go to Australia we will definitely give him that option. We will not force him to go to a country where he is not accepted," said De Silva, who is here for the ongoing second cricket Test between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe on the invitation of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. "I can understand Murali's concerns after the remarks of the Australian Prime Minister. Naturally he must be hurt. He is made to look a man who is not wanted at a time when he has just broken the world bowling record," said De Silva. "Instead of showering him with accolades people trying to ridicule him. It is really not accepted," he said. Australian Prime Minister John Howard was quoted by AFP news agency from Sydney on Friday labelling Murali a 'chucker'. Howard who was reported to be a keen cricket fan had admitted that Muralitharan threw the ball and was quoted by the agency: "They proved it in Perth too, with that thing,' he added, drawing an image of a video screen with his hands." "We quite understand the situation, the trauma and mental agony Murali has gone through. It is nothing but right that we give him that choice. The ball is in his court whether he wants to tour Australia or not," said De Silva, but added that the bowler had not so far officially indicated to the SLC about his intentions. De Silva said the media had overplayed Muralitharan's controversial 'doosra' delivery, which has been currently banned by the ICC. "What we have to accept here is that there is a regulation in place and as a member country of the ICC we are obliged to respect and abide by them. But at the same time we are taking it very seriously the importance of reviewing the whole thing because no proper research has been carried out on spinners for the ICC to stipulate the present levels of tolerance. We have to accept what is in existence and follow the ICC's protocol," said De Silva. De Silva said that SLC had advised Muralitharan to refrain from bowling the 'doosra' because tests had proved that he was going beyond the stipulated levels of tolerance. Muralitharan was reported by match referee Chris Broad at the end of the Australian Test series in March and could not be reported again for six weeks. During that period Muralitharan was free to bowl the delivery, which he did and went onto, break Walsh's world record. The period elapsed at the start of the on-going second Test against Zimbabwe here and Muralitharan on the instructions of the SLC refrained from bowling the 'doosra' but yet took two wickets bowling his off-breaks. "We are seriously taking the matter up with the proper authorities. The only thing is there are a time, place and forum to take up these issues. We are actually gearing ourselves with the necessary scientific evidence and other necessary details," said De Silva. He said that SLC vice president and former Sri Lanka cricketer Aravinda de Silva had taken the issue up at the ICC's cricket committee meeting in Dubai on May 13-14 and he said that he was happy that De Silva had been included the three-member sub committee which will look at the review procedure and the protocols of the tolerance for bowlers which will at the last quarter of the year. Other members are Angus Fraser and Tim May as well as human movement specialists and independent cricket experts. The Dubai meeting decided that no changes to the regulations should be made until the ICC's planned research into spin bowling is completed at the ICC Champions Trophy in England later this year. |
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