Manager denies forcing Muralitharan to play at Edgbaston

Sri Lanka team manager Chandra Schaffter has denied that Muttiah Muralitharan was forced to play at Edgbaston after media speculation that he would have preferred to sit out the match and allow his shoulder to fully heal.

"That is the last thing I would do. We left the decision entirely to him and he did not confirm that he was playing until the morning of the match," said Schaffter.

He also claims that team morale had not been affected by the remarks made by key bowler to the media after the Edgbaston game.

Muralitharan had criticised team mates, saying: "Sometimes I have to take all the wickets. But you can't expect a miracle bowling spell from me every time. The rest of the bowlers weren't up to the mark in this match".

"There is no reaction from any player. They know Murali well now, not to take what he says seriously," said Schaffter.

Muralitharan also said that he was not certain whether he would play in the next Test at Old Trafford because he 'felt ugly to play without being 100 percent fit'.

Schaffter said Muralitharan was asked to play only for his bowling at Edgbaston and the rest of the team members were to protect him on the field. Batting was not a requirement from him, said the manager.

Muralitharan bowled a marathon 64 overs and took five wickets for 143 runs, but complained of pain and soreness in his injured left shoulder. He faced only one ball in the entire Test swishing his bat one handed in the first innings. He did not bat in the second.

Team coach Dav Whatmore said Muralitharan bowling more than 60 overs vindicated their decision to play him, and added that he would be in contention for the third Test starting on June 13 at Old Trafford, Manchester.

The British press have been unhappy over the restrictions imposed on them by manager Schaffter in talking to the Sri Lankan players. Only the captain, coach and manager are available to them.

"I have to take such precautions because some of our players are not so fluent in English and what they say can always be misinterpreted in the media. Murali's case is just one of them," said Schaffter.

Today's British newspapers said that Muralitharan "had been pressurized into playing" and that "the rest of the bowlers seemed deflated by his return as a one-dimensional bowling machine who had to be coddled in the field".