In one section of the Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium there was
joy and emotions, and on the other hand there were gloomy faces. And one
especially felt bad to see the sad face of Muttiah Muralitharan – one of the
greatest spinners cricket has ever seen, leaving international cricket in this
manner.
Deep down, as his ardent fan and follower, my heart was
crying for the Sri Lankans. I just wanted whole heartedly Murali to lift the
World Cup. But the Indians were too good and certainly among the two well-matched
side. The best side won and scripted history. Sadly, Murali had to end up as
the runner-ups.
Perhaps no cricketer since Douglas Jardine has polarised
opinion quite like Murali. For the believers, he’s among the greatest to ever
spin a ball. For the doubters, he’s a charlatan, undeserving of the game’s
greatest records, responsible for changes in the laws that they think have
legitimized throwing.
What was undeniable was his ability to turn the ball sharply
on just about any surface, and bowl the sort of marathon spells that would have
seen a lesser man retire after five seasons rather than 18. Whether Sri
Lanka played at home, on pitches where he
was often unplayable, or overseas, Murali was the go-to man for half a dozen
captains. He seldom disappointed.
Coming from a family that had confectionery interests in Kandy ,
he arrived on the cricketing scene during a tour game against Australia
in 1992-93, when no less a batsman than Allan Border failed to pick his bowling.
From the outset, his action was an object of wonder. A deformed elbow was only
part of the story. Murali had exceptionally supple wrists and a shoulder that
rotated as rapidly as a fast bowler’s at the time of delivery. A combination of
all these factors combined to enable him to turn the ball far more than most
orthodox finger-spinners, but it was only with his mastering the doosra, the
one that went the other way or held its line, that he became Shane Warne‘s
rival in the wicket-taking and greatness stakes.
The controversies always kept him company, yet Murali seldom
lost his wide-eyed smile, or the ability to run through batting sides. Darrell
Hair called him for throwing on Boxing Day in 1995, and Ross Emerson followed
suit three years later. In 2004, he was asked to refrain from bowling his
doosra, after it was found to exceed the 15-degree tolerance limit that had
been agreed on after extensive analysis of his and other actions. While the
skeptics continued to denigrate his achievements, Murali even bowled on
television in a special cast, going through his entire repertoire to try and
convince the doubters.
Part of the World Cup-winning side in 1996, he was
instrumental in the run to the final 11 years later, and he played his part in
some of the country’s greatest sporting moments. It was his 16 wickets that
helped rout England at The Oval in 1998, back in the days when Sri Lanka were
deemed worthy of only one Test. He averaged less than 30 with the ball in every
country except India
and Australia ,
and he finished a remarkable Test career with more than 100 wickets against India ,
England and South
Africa .
Being backed by Arjuna Ranatunga, he blossomed in the late 1990s,
and there was a period when the opposition routinely budgeted for 20 Murali
wickets or more in a three-Test series. As the years passed, his shyness gave
way to a quiet confidence and wry sense of humour, and he won admirers around
the world for the energy, time and money that he invested in reconstruction
after a tsunami had devastated the Sri Lankan coast in 2004. Often the only
Tamil in the side in a time of ethnic conflict, he became as powerful a
unifying force as any in the country. That he was such a hero with ball in hand
was only part of the story.
Not winning the World Cup this year at Mumbai will remain as
a disappointment in his long illustrious career. He certainly wanted to end his
career on the winning note, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Co upset his plans. In
the final, he defied pain and bowled his heart out, but certainly there wasn’t
that bite, the guile and the killer punch in his deliveries.
His records will inspire generation to come. He will remain
as an icon to off-spinners of future generation. His modesty is praise worthy,
his wisdom is a lesson worthy of imitation and his ability to handle the
heaviest of troubles with a big smile will remain as an example of how to
handle pressures. Bishan Singh Bedi will not stop calling him a chucker, umpire
Hair will deny him to be the legend of off-spinners, but in the era of high
quality technology, it has been proven again and again his bowling is legal.
Sri Lankan cricket, indeed international cricket, will be
poorer without this wondrous off-spinner. Adieu, Murali!
Note: This article has been published in Cricket Country on 10/04/2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/muttiah-muralitharan-the-wizard-who-mesmerized-batsmen-all-over-the-world-1781
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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