|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 16 May 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Murali magic spins the world by Ranjan Anandappa Muralitharan and Warne will have a terrific tussle in their wicket taking spree to be ahead of each other with both in peak form and many more Tests to be played by them. It will be interesting to see who the ultimate winner will be.
Sri Lanka's Muralitharan is the second bowler who has come along to underline the dominating capacity of spinners with Australian Shane Warne not far behind. Coming from an affluent business family from Kandy, Muralitharan preferred to be a medium pace bowler while at school St. Anthony's College Katugastota. His second love was rugby. After his early days as a medium pace bowler, he later took to spinning and has now ended up as the world's most prolific wicket taker in Test match cricket. Muralitharan started playing cricket at the early age of four years with a tennis ball with his cousins and brothers. Since becoming a boarder at his school, he gradually started playing organised cricket. The modest Sri Lankan spinner rates the World Cup win in 1996 above his individual record. He pays tribute to his then skipper, and mentor Arjuna Ranatunga for his unstinted support. Ranatunga always wanted Muralitharan to do well and had unshakable faith in him to deliver the goods at all times which gave Muralitharan much confidence. His unwavering support and strength of leadership during the two Australian tours helped save Muralitharan's career.
Murali rates West Indian Brian Lara as the best batsman that he has bowled to. "He is a wonderful batsman capable of playing shots all round the wicket. It's always a challenge bowling to him because of the variety of shots that he produces. Most players are restricted in some way and as a bowler you can focus on the weak point", says Muralitharan. Former England and Yorkshire paceman Freddie Trueman once said that whoever breaks his record of 307 Test wickets (then) will no doubt be a tired man. Trueman the Yorkshireman that he was, would have not only thought of his tribe but also of the spinners. For, since Trueman, it has been all pace bowlers who have held sway except for the West Indian off spinner Lance Gibbs. In fact, Gibbs broke and emerged from a lesser known quarter which had dominated world cricket to smash Trueman's record, as a finger spinner in 1976. Of course those were the days when cricket was dominated by England, Australia, West Indies and also South Africa, the latter prior to being banned from cricket due to their apartheid policies. Cricket in recent times, no longer resembles the cricket played in days of yore with so much of modern technology. Establishing new records has not been a problem. There are no safe targets in limited overs cricket, Test matches are more result oriented. Fielding has been electrifying at times, and batsmen looking to play shots all the time. Australian opener Mathew Hayden held the World Test batting record (380) bettering Lara's innings only for six months. Lara quickly recaptured his record by scoring an unbeaten 400 runs. It is also amazing how two different types of spinners, namely Sri Lanka's Muthiah Muralitharan and Australia's Shane Warne could race simultaneously towards the magic mark of 519 Test wickets set by West Indian paceman Courtney Walsh which ultimately Murali did. It was not an ideal Test match for Murali. How he imagined reaching the milestone against a weakened opposition in front of a sparse crowd to support him no one knows but, nevertheless, he reached the magical figure of 520 wickets by claiming the wicket of Mluleki Nkala in Zimbabwe's second innings at Harare. "Records are meant to be broken", said the great West Indian allrounder Sir Garfield Sobers. Shane Warne will no doubt get his opportunity to have a crack at the newly established record by Muralitharan when Australia tours Zimbabwe shortly for a two Test series. Muralitharan and Warne will have a terrific tussle in their wicket taking spree to be ahead of each other with both in peak form and many more Tests to be played by them. It will be interesting to see who will be the ultimate winner. Muralitharan who is 32 years old has many more years of cricket behind him and is bound to go from strength to strength. As he says that he is a relieved man now he could concentrate more on getting better bowling results. Muralitharan's path to the top has not been an easy one for him. There were many 'rough' edges with many accusing him that his bowling action was not in conformity to the cricket laws. His recent controversy over his 'doosra' has also been a key factor in his success. England and Australia mediamen blew up the issue of the 'doosra' probably to vilify Muralitharan. The reason for it was to say that it is not distinguishable from his off spinner that could cause mayhem among batsmen. This was seen for the first time in the Sri Lanka - England series last December. But Muralitharan must have bowled it in his short stay with Kent in the County cricket season prior to England visiting Sri Lanka. Sensing a potential danger to his team, fast bowler Darren Gough who was not even a member of the tour party called it the 'doosra' and said it was a delivery to be watched closely. Neither Muralitharan nor any one else had so named it. Gough's intention was quite clear that it was to create a sinister aura about a new delivery where Murali was said to have devised to bowl out the English, specially the left handers and the free scoring Greame Thorp. Muralitharan is a team man in the most literal sense. There was no doubt that he was under terrific pressure once he was approaching the 520 wicket mark. "I was thankful that it was over. I said to myself it's gone now and I can relax". While Walsh played in 132 Test matches to reach 519 wickets, Muralitharan played in 89 Test matches for his 521 wickets and at 32 years old, he has many more years ahead of him. Well over half of his record breaking number of wickets (337 out of 520) have come in Sri Lanka, while he's picked up the most against the South Africans, both home and away (with 77). Next in line is Zimbabwe and thereafter England, whose batsmen have been bamboozled 69 times. Interestingly, Australia (50), and India (51), fare the best against him. Out of his 500 plus scalps 401 of them have been taken in Asia. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
Sri Lanka seems to be all agog over Muralitharan's exceptional bowling
performances in Test cricket. His total commitment and dedication to the
achievement of team success has led to many heated team meetings over the
years, but none could debate his loyalty.
