ICC confirms advice to Muralitharan

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had provided the ICC with copies of SLC's advice to Muttiah Muralitharan and to Sri Lankan team management requesting that Muralitharan refrain from bowling his "doosra".

The ICC also confirmed that ICC Match Referee Mike Proctor had raised this issue with the Sri Lanka Team Manager before the start of play today to ensure that there was no confusion over this matter.

The advice provided by Sri Lanka Cricket follows the report by the University of Western Australia which established that the delivery did not conform to the regulations of the game.

ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said that Sri Lanka Cricket had provided copies of its advice to Muralitharan to confirm that it had taken this action.

"I am aware of media reports in some papers suggesting that Mr Muralitharan has not been given this information," said Mr Speed.

"This is not the advice that Sri Lanka Cricket has given to the ICC.

"It has provided two pieces of correspondence, one from its Bowling Review Group to Muralitharan and one from its Chief Executive to the Team Manager, both of which are clear in saying that the bowler should refrain from bowling this delivery.

"Given the comments that have appeared in the media today concerning this advice, the ICC asked ICC Match Referee, Mike Proctor, who is in control of the game in Bulawayo, to ensure that the Sri Lankan team management is fully aware of the issue and of the processes in place to deal with any concerns that might arise out of this match.

"Given the steps taken by Sri Lanka Cricket and the ICC, there should now be no doubt as to the course that Sri Lanka Cricket has advised Muralitharan to follow, a course that the ICC fully supports."

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