Only Australian umpires and media see something wrong (17 January 1999)

17 January 1999

Only Australian umpires and media see something wrong

Elmo Rodrigopulle

Melbourne, Australia, Jan 16 - It looks as though it was the end of the road for number one off-spinner in the world Muthiah Muralitharan where his bowling is concerned, at least in Australia.

But former Australian captain who holds the record for the most number of runs scored in Test cricket Alan Border, has come out with all guns firing to defend Muralitharan's action saying that video shows the spinner's action legal.

'He's different, quirky and certainly eye-catching ... but he is not a chucker'. That's Border's view on Sri Lankan's controversial off-spinning sensation Muthiah Muralitharan.

Border, who is also an Australian selector, in his column goes on to say that he recently spoke to the former 'smiling assassin' Michael Holding of the West Indies who is on the nine-man international panel which reviews actions, and he had told Border that he had viewed extensive replays of Muralitharan and was satisfied that his action is legal.

Holding who was one of the game's greatest bowlers and is one of the fairest judges, knows what he is talking about.

As for me the chucking law needs to be redefined and more definitive. As it stands the law states that the umpires have the right to no-ball a bowler if there is any doubt about the correctness of his action.

That means that a bowler's career can be ruined on suspicion. As I had stated in some of my previous articles, a guilt must be proved beyond reasonable doubt, otherwise the benefit of the doubt should be given to the accused.

From the time Muralitharan arrived here, he has not only been a TV star but also a newspaper star. Every newspaper has something or other on him with pictures of his bowling action and questioning its legality. Apparently they must be using Muralitharan to increase their circulation.

Former Sri Lankan coach Bruce Yardley who studied and coached Muralitharan and who knows best about Muralitharan is also convinced that the bowler's action is legal.

So what's the big deal in the media tormenting and torturing the young off spinner? What is beyond reasoning is that it is only the Australian umpires and media that see illegality in the bowler's action. He has played in all other Test countries and passed by 40 of the best umpires in the world. At the rate some of the media men are taking the spinner to task, it might hasten their days to the grave. :Sniper shooting

What the media should have done is to have taken one-day stand-in captain Shane Warne and vice captain Mark Waugh to task and started a campaign to have them banned from the game for the shame they brought not only on the game, but the country by being involved with the sordid underworld of cricket.

Today what Warne and Waugh did is anathema to most right thinking Australians. Instead the media are using the Muralitharan controversy to cover the mortal sins committed by Warne and Waugh.

In the midst of this sniper shooting by the media, it is consoling to the spinner to note that his team mates and management are standing strongly behind him.

Skipper Ranatunga brushed aside the allegations saying that it started only in Australia and in no other country and we don't worry about it. Manager Ranjit Fernando hit for six Muralitharan's critics by saying that the ICC had reviewed and cleared and it should not be anybody else's business to dig up garbage.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)