The evidence that proves Murali is no 'thrower' (20 June 1999)

20 June 1999

The evidence that proves Murali is no 'thrower'

The Electronic Telegraph

It's official. Muttiah Muralitharan is not a chucker. A scientific analysis of the Sri Lankan off-spinner's bowling style using the latest computer technology has ended one of the hottest debates in cricket by proving once and for all that his action is perfectly legal.

Muralitharan, who has made a sensational start to his county career by taking 24 wickets in his first two matches for Lancashire and who has outpaced Shane Warne by taking 203 wickets in 41 Test matches at an average of 26.9, has been dogged by suspicion ever since he was first no-balled for 'throwing' in 1996.

The controversy over his action reached its height in Adelaide in January when, after he was no-balled by Australian umpire Ross Emerson during a one-day international against England, his captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, led a walk-off by the Sri Lankan team.

Following the Adelaide incident, the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lankan approached academics at the University of Western Australia, who lead the world in biomechanics research, to examine the spinner's action. With Muralitharan's full co-operation, a series of tests were carried out under laboratory conditions.

The spinner's action had earlier been given the all-clear by 3D video analysis in 1996 after he was first no-balled, but advances in technology meant scientists could now take a more rigorous approach.

Using a state-of-the-art motion analysis system, 14 reflective markers were placed on the spinner's bowling arm to enable experts to examine its movement while he delivered the ball. Tests were then carried out on all three of his stock deliveries - off-break, top-spin and leg-break. Three-dimensional joint angles were then calculated throughout his bowling action.

The results, which were presented last week to delegates at the World Congress of Science and Medicine in Cricket at Lilleshall in Shropshire and have also been passed to the International Cricket Council, are so conclusive that they should put an end to any doubts about the legality of his action. The scientists found there was no extension or straightening of his elbow prior to delivery - the official definition of throwing - and that the angle between his forearm and upper arm remained constant throughout his bowling action.

"The conclusion is clear," said Professor Bruce Elliott, who headed the scientific team. "The upper arm and lower forearm do not move relative to each other. Murali does not throw."

The reason why the action has attracted so much debate, according to the scientists, is the fact that a congenital deformity means Muralitharan is unable to straighten his bowling arm. This has always been the spinner's explanation for his eccentric action but many within the game have remained sceptical. However, an independent medical examination confirmed that, fully extended, Muralitharan's arm is bent at a 37-degree angle - a defect that also afflicts his brothers.

"This will give the impression that he has adopted a 'throwing position' during his bowling action, especially when the viewing direction of his arm changes through the delivery," said Elliott. "His wrist joint also had a greater range of movement than would normally be expected."

The question remains, however, whether the new evidence will be enough to silence doubters such as umpire Darrell Hair, who first no-balled Muralitharan in 1996 and who, in his book, Man in the Middle, branded the spinner's action as "diabolical".

However, news of the findings has been welcomed by Dav Whatmore, the Lancashire coach who has worked with Muralitharan since his time coaching the Sri Lankan team.

"This just vindicates what we've been saying for years," he said. "We have always been confident that Murali's action would stand up to any scrutiny. We've known that the angle of his arm does not change during delivery. It's good news that we now have this sort of technology, especially when it can be applied to something as sensitive as this."

For Muralitharan, the hope is that the scientific study will finally end the whispering campaign which turned into open abuse following the events in Adelaide earlier this year.

Villified in the Australian press and openly insulted by fans, he was even approached in a restaurant in Australia, where he was dining with Sri Lankan team-mates, by a man posing as a waiter who asked: "What would the chucker like to eat?"

A quiet man who prefers to avoid the limelight, Muralitharan admitted after Lancashire's match at the Oval last week, where he finished with a 10-wicket haul: "Things were very bad in Australia. Because of what happened I have said I will never tour there again." It is ironic that it has taken a team of Australians to finally clear his name.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph