All good things must come to an end

It is said that all good things must come to an end. And this saying rings true for Muttiah Muralitharan ,the world's best off spin bowler.

The off spinner who is on a tour of India has said that he might consider giving up playing all forms of the game even before the World Cup in the sub continent next year.

This is because his body can no longer stand the rigors of playing the five-day game and bowling 40 to 50 overs which he enjoyed doing early in his career. He says that when he trundles 10 to 15 overs he feels tired.

That is how it goes when age starts setting in. He is now 37 and obviously does not have the urge and the zest to keep turning his arm over like when he did and rolled over all the bowling records with great delight.

Three Test series

When the Sri Lankan cricketers took wing to India to contest a three-Test series and win one or the series for the first time in India, a lot depended on how Muralitharan will go and whether he will succeed in bundling out the Indian batsmen.

But this longing went up in smoke, because not only were the wickets not looking benignly on his style of bowling, but the Indian batsmen began to make a sumptuous meal out of his bowling, that lacked sting or venom.

Muralitharan had the rare ability of extracting turn even on ice. But that ability has deserted him and now he is struggling to get among the wickets. He is conceding a lot of runs going for over 100 in each innings and not having to show by way of wickets.

At the time this is being read the Final Test against India will be in its final day and it is hoped that Muralitharan would have regained his form of old and stuffed the Indians.

Wear and tear

Generally a spinner could go on even until he is 40. But Muralitharan's problem was that once he was given the ball he had to bowl 40 to 50 overs in an innings. So wear and tear had to set in and now what one sees of Muralitharan is a sad sight.

Most of Sri Lanka's Test and one-day victories came when Muralitharan was on fire. At his peak no batsmen could read his many variations and fell easy prey. Even at his best one batsman who played him with ease was India's opening batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Spinners are best played by using the feet to get to the ball. Sidhu never got stuck in the crease, but moved out and took the ball on the half volley and clouted it with contempt. He was one batsman who could read Muralitharan and play him with confidence and ease.

Sadly Sri Lanka is not going to play the longer version of the game until the West Indians tour here late next year. Had Muralitharan the opportunity of bowling on home wickets that were helpful to him, he could have been forced to reconsider retirement.

Called for chucking

Muralitharan did not have his career on a bed of roses. His action came in for question on several occasions. Umpires Darrell Hair and Ross Emerson called him for chucking. But thankfully and for his betterment and the betterment of the game, he was subsequently tested and cleared to continue bowling the way his creator wanted him to bowl.

After being called by Hair, Emerson called him a second time and when not only Muralitharan's career was on the line, but also cricket between Australia and Sri Lanka too seemed at the crossroads, skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and the President of Sri Lanka Cricket Thilanga Sumathipala put their necks on the blocks to see that Muralitharan's career would not end abruptly.

In standing by the bowler, Ranatunga nearly had his career in tatters. But thanks to Sumathipala who obtained the services of two of the best lawyers in Australia, Ranatunge saved his skin.

If not for the quick thinking by Sumathipala, the possibility was that Ranatunga was going to be banned from the game. But today sadly Ranatunga and Sumathipala are strange bedfellows. Had they been together they could have done wonders for the player, the game in the country and the game at large.

Amazing bowling

It was Muralitharan with amazing bowling efforts which brought many a victory for the country in all forms of the game. Whenever called on to bowl, he obliged gladly and kept on bowling making it hell for the batsmen and went on breaking record after record.

At one time he was toying with the idea of getting the magical 1000 wickets. But with age catching up with him and his mind willing and body refusing to respond he will not be able to get to that magical figure.

In addition batsmen have also read his repertoire of deliveries, particularly his wicket taking doosra and now the great man is struggling for wickets and on the current tour the Indians are just massacring him.

Past captains Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardena had the good fortune of having Muralitharan at his peak and they had only to ask and Muralitharan would deliver.

Kumar Sangakkara who is now in the hot seat, must be regretting because Muralitharan has lost his sting and is only now just rolling his arm over. With Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath too struggling, it must be hell for Sangakkara.

Cricket abroad

It was sad to see the first Tests between Australia and West Indies in Australia and New Zealand and Pakistan in New Zealand ending well inside the distance with convincing victories for the hosts.

When the great players such as Chrys Gayle, Shiv Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwaynne Bravo came back to the Carribean fold, one expected that they would be worthy opponents to the high riding kangaroos.

But what one saw was the Aussies just rolling over the Windies and finishing off the Test with more than two days to spare. Sad when one thinks of what West Indian cricket was in the not too distant past.

The New Zealanders too seem to be having a ball by pushing a side - the Pakistanis and romping home to an easy victory. Pakistan cricket is still in a crisis and until peace and harmony returns to the team there is no way that Pakistan cricket can regain its past glory.