Murali bamboozled by Warne's spin
It seems that Shane Warne’s spin has done it again
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
It seems that Shane Warne’s spin has done it again. After Warne wrote that Muttiah Muralitharan’s action should be tested in a match, he made up with Murali by telling him that the article was referring to any bowler with a suspect action – not specifically Murali. Alex Brown examines the saga in the Sydney Morning Herald.
There's a problem here. Warne did refer specifically to Murali in his column. But given that Muralitharan has not read the article directly, he accepts Warne's version of events and offers an apology for his outburst. Another opponent bamboozled by Warne's spin. And things were good. Like a pair of old chums, Warne and Muralitharan arrive for the trophy unveiling ceremony, flashing smiles and sharing a few laughs while camera shutters click and pens scribble around them.
But later, when Brown reads the relevant part of Warne’s column back to Murali, things change.
"You do know that Warne referred to you by name in his column?" Murali is asked. "But he says he didn't," he replies. The passage is read back to Muralitharan. "Then everything is the same as yesterday," he says. "I apologised because he said it was not about me."
In the Age, Peter Roebuck discusses the sudden rush to condemn world cricket as one-sided after Australia’s win in the first Test.
Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here