Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan

Source: [2], December 18 2006

Muttiah Muralitharan (Tamil: முத்தையா முரளிதரன்) (born April 17, 1972 in Kandy), often referred to simply as Murali, is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is generally regarded as the greatest Sri Lankan cricketer and the greatest off-spin bowler in cricket history. Since his international debut in 1992, and especially since 2000, he has had extraordinary success as a bowler.

Muralitharan has - despite being plagued by controversies over his bowling action - over 600 Test wickets and over 400 One-day International wickets, making him the most successful bowler currently playing both forms of the game. Currently his Test average is 21.73, which compares favourably to other contemporary spin bowlers like Shane Warne (25.49), Anil Kumble (28.59) and Harbhajan Singh (29.86). In 2002, Wisden, the cricketing bible, named Muralitharan the "Greatest bowler in Test cricket history". [3]

In May 2004, he overtook West Indian Courtney Walsh's record of 519 Test match wickets to become the highest-wicket taker until the Shane Warne, the legendary Australian leg-spinner overtook his record in late 2004 after Warne came back from a one year ban from cricket and an injury forced Murali to miss a considerable number of matches. However Warne believes that the younger Muralitharan will eventually be the one to finish with the record, saying he believes that Muralitharan will take "1000 wickets" before he retires [4]. Former all-time wickets record holder Courtney Walsh has also opinioned that this was entirely possible if Murali retained his hunger for wickets [5]. Murali himself believes that there is a possibility that he will reach the milestone - although he admits that it depends on other factors. [6]

Muralitharan is the only known wrist-spinning off-spinner in the history of the game. His unique bowling action begins with a "flapping wings" run-up, and culminates with an extremely wristy release. He was mistaken for a leg spinner early in his career by Allan Border. Aside from his off break, he also a bowls a fast topspinner which goes straight on, and is a master of the doosra, which turns from leg to off with no discernible change of action. He is also able to bowl leg spin ala Shane Warne, as shown during the South African Tour of Sri Lanka series in 2006, managing to extract prodigious spin.

Murali became politically active in 2004, becoming an ambassador for the United Nations World Food Program, and joining an anti-poverty campaign. He said he was "lucky to be alive" after narrowly missing the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake by just 20 minutes [7]. One week later, he was reported [8] to be helping distribute food to victims of the tsunami.

He is one of few Tamils to have played for the Sri Lankan cricket team. Muralitharan married an Indian woman, Mathimalar Ramamurthy, in 2005 [9].

World records and achievements

Muttiah Muralitharan holds a number of world records, and several firsts:

• The highest number of international wickets in Tests and ODIs combined (1099 wickets as of December 19th 2006)
• Second highest number of Test wickets (674), after Shane Warne from Australia .
• Second highest number of ODI wickets (425), after Wasim Akram from Pakistan [10]
• The most 10-wicket hauls in a match at Test level (19) [11]
• The most 5-wicket hauls in an innings at Test level (57) [12]
• Murali and Jim Laker (England), are the only bowlers to have taken 9 wickets in a Test innings twice.
• Only player to take 50 or more wickets against every Test playing nation. [13]
• Only player to take 10 wickets in a Test match against every Test playing nation. [14]
• Reached 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600 and 650 wickets in the fewest number of matches played [15][16][17][18][19][20][21]
• Only player to take 10 wickets in a Test match in four consecutive matches twice. [22] No one else has done it even once.
• Taken 7 wickets in an innings against the most countries (5) [23]
• Most Test wickets taken bowled [24]
• Most Test wickets at a single venue - 134 in Colombo (SSC) [25]
• Most successful bowler/fielder combination - c Mahela Jayawardene b Muttiah Muralitharan [26]

Controversy of bowling action

Muralitharan's bowling action is controversial amongst the cricket community, as to some it appears that it contravenes the laws of the game by straightening the arm further than is allowed, in the course of his deliveries. The action is so irregular that many cricket purists even refuse to recognise Muralitharans stats. The controversy came to a head after Australian umpire Darrell Hair called a "no ball" for an illegal action seven times during the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne, Australia, in 1995. After discussions between the Australian Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, Hair umpired no further games involving Sri Lanka in the season. Former Australian batsman, Sir Donald Bradman, quoted as saying it was the "worst example of umpiring that [he had] witnessed, and against everything the game stands for. Clearly Murali does not throw the ball". [27] [28]

Muralitharan was later no-balled for throwing by Australian umpires Ross Emerson and Tony McQuillan in a one-day international against the West Indies, in Brisbane, Australia, in the same summer. Following this season, Muralitharan underwent biomechanical tests in Hong Kong and Australia under the supervision of bowling experts, who cleared his action as legal, citing a congenital defect in Muralitharan's arm which makes him incapable of straightening it any further, but giving the appearance of the arm "straightening" in the bowling action.[29] Doubts about Muralitharan's action persisted however, and in 1999 he was once again called for throwing by umpire Ross Emerson in an ODI against England, at the Adelaide Oval in Australia. The Sri Lankan team almost abandoned the match, but after instructions from the president of the BCCSL, the game resumed.

Muralitharan took his 500th Test wicket in the second Test against Australia in Kandy on March 16, 2004. At the end of the series his doosra delivery was officially called into question by match referee Chris Broad and Muralitharan was entered into a two-stage remedial process for bowlers with suspect actions under the supervision of the International Cricket Council ('ICC'). The delivery was examined by biomechanical experts who found it to exceed the current tolerance limit, regarding the degree of bend in the arm, of five degrees for slow bowlers. Despite this he won accolades from former Australian captain, Steve Waugh, who said he was "the Don Bradman of bowling".[30]

An extensive ICC study, the results of which were released in November 2004, was conducted to investigate the 'chucking issue'. A panel of former Test players, with the assistance of several biomechanical experts, revealed that 99% of all bowlers bent their arms when bowling. Only one player in the world (batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan) did not transgress the rules when tested. Muralitharan's off break and topspinner were deemed within the rules (2 to 5 degree straightening), but the doosra was still an area of concern. The results of the study has led to the ICC issuing a new guideline allowing for extensions or hyperextensions of up to 15 degrees thus deeming Muralitharan's doosra to be legal. [31]

Two vocal critics of Murilatharan's action were former Test cricketers: West Indian Michael Holding, a member of the ICC's Advisory Panel on Illegal Deliveries, and Australian Dean Jones. Holding had been quoted as being in "110% agreement" with Bedi regarding Muralitharan's action and Jones had said "by my interpretation, I think he throws it". Following the ICC study, Holding, a member of the panel that conducted the ICC study stated that, "The scientific evidence is overwhelming... When bowlers who to the naked eye look to have pure actions are thoroughly analysed with the sophisticated technology now in place, they are likely to be shown as straightening their arm by 11 and in some cases 12 degrees. Under a strict interpretation of the law, these players are breaking the rules. The game needs to deal with this reality and make its judgment as to how it accommodates this fact."[32]

Due to large amounts of criticism of Murali from Australia - primarily surrounding his bowling action - it now appears he is unlikely ever to tour there again, after being called for "chucking" three times there, his team were subject to a racist slur by former Australian batsman Darren Lehmann [33] and being subject to personal attacks from important Australian figureheads.The legendary former Australian fast-bowler Dennis Lillee branded Murali as "pathetic" and "a real cop-out" after he made his decision to not tour Australia in a two Test series. Shane Warne, who prior to this incident had been complimental of Murali stated he was "thin-skinned."[34] Even Australia's current Prime Minister John Howard has branded Murali a "chucker", and stated "they proved it in Perth with that thing (Murali's bowling action)"[35]

Following a recent Test match between Sri lanka and New Zealand, former cricketer and now commentator Martin Crowe called for the ICC to review Murilatharan's bowling action, in particular his doosra delivery. [36]

Test Wicket Milestones

• 1st: Craig McDermott lbw 9 vs Australia - Match #1 - Test #1195
• 50th: Navjot Sidhu caught Ruwan Kalpage 43 vs India - Match #13 - Test #1247
• 100th: Stephen Fleming bowled 59 vs New Zealand - Match #27 - 1359
• 150th: Guy Whittall caught sub (Mahela Jayawardene) 17 vs Zimbabwe - Match #36 - Test #1395
• 200th: Dominic Cork caught Romesh Kaluwitharana 8 vs England - Match #42 - Test #1423
• 250th: Naved Ashraf lbw 27 vs Pakistan - Match #51 - Test #1489
• 300th: Shaun Pollock caught Tillakaratne Dilshan 11 vs South Africa - Match #58 - Test #1526
• 350th: Mohammad Sharif caught and bowled 19 vs Bangladesh - Match #66 - Test #1561
• 400th: Henry Olonga bowled 0 vs Zimbabwe - Match #72 - Test #1585
• 450th: Daryl Tuffey caught Sanath Jayasuriya 1 vs New Zealand - Match #80 - Test #1644
• 500th: Michael Kasprowicz bowled 0 vs Australia - Match #87 - Test #1688
• 550th: Khaled Mashud caught Thilan Samaraweera 2 vs Bangladesh - Match #94 - Test #1764
• 600th: Khaled Mashud caught Lasith Malinga 6 vs Bangladesh - Match #101 - Test #1786
• 650th: Makhaya Ntini caught Farveez Maharoof 13 vs South Africa - Match #108 - Test #1812

External links

• Muralitharan.com
• CricInfo Player Profile: Muttiah Muralitharan
• Muttiah Muralitharan International Fan Club
• Murali Tracker

Bowling Controversy

• Murali's throwing controversy was resolved at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• ICC study reveals that 99% of bowlers throw
• The Murali Mystery - An analysis of the bowling controversy
• ICC Illegal Deliveries Process: FAQ

Tributes

• Murali will always be a beacon of hope - Kumar Sangakkara