Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan (born April 17, 1972 in Kandy also simply referred to as 'Murali') is a Sri Lankan cricketer specializing in off spin bowling. He has been a member of the Sri Lankan cricket team since 1992 since making his Test debut against Australia at Colombo in the Australian cricket tour of Sri Lanka of 1992 and ODI against India at Colombo in 1993.

Statistically, he is without doubt the most effective spin bowler ever to play cricket in both forms of the game (Test and One Day International). Currently his record stands at over 500 test wickets at a average of just 22 - a remarkable achievement despite the fact he is an off-spin bowler. This is in comparison to Shane Warne's bowling average of 25, Anil Kumble's and fellow off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's 28.

In 2002, Wisden named him the greatest bowler of all time. On May 8,2004, in Zimbabwe, he overtook Courtney Walsh's then record of 519 Test match wickets to become the highest-wicket taker of all time, and it seems likely that the new record he eventually sets will not be beaten for many years to come. Shane Warne, his Australian leg-spinning rival for the titles of world's best bowler and leading Test wicket-taker, has been quoted as believing that Muralitharan will take "1000 wickets" before he retires. Later that year, Muralitharan became an ambassador for the United Nations World Food Program, and joined the campaign to prevent children around the world going hungry.

A notable feature of Muralitharan is his unique run-up action of "flapping wings" resembling the flapping wings of a chicken and bulging eyes, in which the later adds a somewhat painful look to his highly effective bowling. He is considered as a "big turner" of the ball due to the amount of spin he puts on the ball with his fingers, in addition to the flighting of the ball that is very hard for a batsmen to play at.

His main weapons include the off-break which turns into the batsman and the stumps, the top-spinner which goes straight on and is bowled at a faster speed then a normal off-break, and his controversial doosra, which is his version of a leg-break that turns away from the batsman and the stumps.

Controversy of bowling action

Muralitharan's bowling action is highly controversial amongst many pundits, as to some it appears that it contravenes the laws of the game by straightening the arm in the course of the delivery. This is despite his action being exonerated unanimously by an international panel consisting of members from every test playing nation. 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. Hair was widely criticised by players and fans alike, with Don Bradman quoted as saying it "was the worst piece of umpiring I have ever encountered".

Muralitharan was later no-balled for throwing by Australian umpires Ross Emerson and Tony McQuillan in a one-day international (ODI) against the West Indies, in Brisbane, Australia, later 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, but giving the appearance of the arm straightening in the bowling action.

Doubts about Muralitharan's action persist, particularly in Australia. 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 (relayed to captain Arjuna Ranatunga by mobile phone) 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 action 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.

Despite this he won accolades from former Australian captain, Steve Waugh, who said he was "the Don Bradman of bowling". Waugh went on to say that he felt Muralitharan's action was perfectly legal.

There is speculation that the match referee's actions were an attempt to de-rail Muralitharan's attempt to become the all-time leading wicket taker. Former players like Arjuna Ranatunga believe this to be a "white conspiracy" with some Australians and Englishmen wishing to get the name Muralitharan expunged from cricket records. Ranatunga asserted that Muralitharan was being picked on because of his skin colour.

See also

• Laws of Cricket