Date:15/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/15/stories/2004071503201900.htm

Sport - Cricket

The Lankan wizard ready to weave his magic

By Sanjay Rajan

COLOMBO, JULY 14. Even as Shane Warne picked up 10 wickets in the just-concluded two-Test series against Sri Lanka at home, which saw the Australian leg-spinner draw level with Muttiah Muralitharan's record of 527 wickets, the wizard from the Emerald Isle was busy bowling for television cameras at Lord's with his arm held firm in a cast to restrict his alleged flexion.

You could see the hurt caused by the recent developments in Muralitharan's eyes on catching up with the much-maligned off-spinner at the Nondescripts Cricket Club on Wednesday.

The Indian team was involved in a practice match at the venue, while Murali — whose teammates return from Australia in the wee hours of Thursday — was bowling alone at the nets.

"I only want to prove it to the people. I don't want cricket followers to suspect me. I bowled to a high-speed camera that shoots 1,000 frames a minute," said Muralitharan on the reason why he was subjecting himself to more cameras and expert analysis.

He felt that this would go a long way in proving that he was not `chucking', especially to his Australian critics whose objections had forced him to withdraw from the recent tour.

In what could be described as a public relation exercise on British television, Murali, bowling in a singlet at the Nursery ground, showed Mark Nicholas' TV crew how, with a steel and plaster elbow brace that Arnold Schwarzenegger could not straighten, he bowls with a bent arm of minimal flexion throughout.

The exercise disclosed that there was no palpable difference in elbow-to-arm flexion with or without the brace from forearm to bicep and how much the dip, rotation and pivot of his shoulder, at the point of delivery, influenced his action.

"Channel 4 will be telecasting this during the Lord's Test of the England-West Indies series. I did my part, also talked a bit. I intend giving it to two or three channels in Asia, so that the cricket lovers of the sub-continent can also see it," said Muralitharan, who is also the third-highest wicket-taker in the one-day game with 360 scalps from 232 matches. Only the retired Pakistani duo of Wasim Akram (502 wickets from 356 matches) and Waqar Younis (416 from 262) have more.

No regrets

Muralitharan smiled — there was certainly more meaning in that wry one — and said he had no regrets missing the Australian series. "The series was all right for us: neither successful nor disappointing. Mind you, only India has done well in Australian conditions in recent times," he said.

Regarding Warne reaching his mark, Muralitharan said, "No one can hold on to records. I'll be happy if he gets past mine. Moreover, I'm not selfish like them. People say we are competing. I don't view it that way. I just play for my country; I focus on my team. I don't know how he views it. I'll certainly applaud if he beats me finally. This supposed rivalry is probably good for world cricket."

Muralitharan prefers the word ambition to targets. "I don't set targets; how can you, when you don't even know what is going to happen to you tomorrow," he asks.

"My ambition is to play for another six to seven years at least. I had originally planned to play till the 2007 World Cup, but now I want to play a little more at least. I'm still young (he is 32 years old), six-seven years means till I'm 38. A spinner can go longer, if he maintains his fitness.

"If I continue bowling well, I can claim 50 wickets a season. I took 80 per season the last two or three years. These days, we play about 10 Test matches a season. But then, nothing is certain. I'm not selfish. I just want to play for the country."

Muralitharan, however, was quick to point out that in the coming months Warne would get to play in more Test matches than he.

Muralitharan has been advised not to bowl the `doosra'. "I'll only be bowling the top-spinner. You know, to begin with, I didn't name it the doosra. Saqlain and, I think Harbhajan also, called it so. I don't want to name any ball. I only bowl the basic ones: the one that comes in, the one that goes away and the one that goes straight. I have never said that I possess variety. I've always believed that if you have a good off-break/spin you will get wickets," he said.

Muralitharan said he was looking forward to the Indian Oil-Asia Cup. "I'm feeling positive, hoping to win it. I have only been practising for a week ago after a one-month break. India and Pakistan are good teams. It will be competitive. We'll have to fight hard."

Regarding the inclusion of new teams like UAE and Hong Kong in the competition, he said, "One needs to be given opportunities to become good. I think it is a move in the right direction. Cricket will develop and become more popular when more teams are brought into the fold."