MELBOURNE, Australia, 16 November 2004 — Sri Lankan spin whiz Muttiah Muralitharan has returned fire on his Australian detractors by claiming three of their leading pacers bowl illegal deliveries.
Muralitharan, who has endured controversy over his bowling action throughout his 532-Test wicket career, said yesterday Australian trio Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie were all flexing their arms beyond the legal limit.
The chucking debate reared last week when proposed changes in rules going before the International Cricket Council (ICC) for consideration next February were seen as allowing Muralitharan to resume bowling his controversial ‘doosra.’
An ICC committee made up of former Test players, chaired by veteran India captain Sunil Gavaskar, has recommended a new rule allowing bowlers to straighten their arms by up to 15 degrees. Muralitharan, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, believes 99 percent of bowlers are chucking, including McGrath, Lee and Gillespie.
Muralitharan said almost all bowlers flexed their arms, including the Australians.
“McGrath is bowling about 13 (degrees), Gillespie about 12 and Brett Lee about 14 or 15, so what about them then, the Australian players?,” Muralitharan said in a radio interview yesterday. “What about other international players?”
Muralitharan said he had been subject to unfair scrutiny throughout his career because other cricket nations were jealous of his achievements.
“When you perform well from an ordinary country rather than a big country, then people think there is something wrong,” he said on radio Sport927.
“That’s not my problem, they have to clarify themselves.”
Pakistan Greats Defend Banned India Captain
In New Delhi, India’s Saurav Ganguly, sulking in defeat and disgrace after becoming the first Test captain to be suspended for slow over-rates, yesterday received unexpected support from two Pakistan legends Imran Khan and Wasim Akram.
The duo said they sympathized with the Indian captain, who will miss the upcoming home series against South Africa after being slapped with a two-Test ban following the six-wicket defeat at Pakistan’s hands in Saturday’s One-Day International at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta.
International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Clive Lloyd handed Ganguly the unprecedented suspension for India’s slow over-rate which saw the match finish almost an hour behind schedule.
Lloyd gave an “allowance of 24 minutes” for stoppages owing to on-field injuries and frequent drying of the ball because of the heavy dew on the ground, but ruled that India still fell five overs short.
Ganguly decined to comment on his suspension, but both Imran and Akram jumped to the defense of the beleaguered Indian captain.
“I was surprised to hear of Lloyd’s harsh judgment,” said Imran, who attended the match which was played to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
