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| July 28, 2002 | Sunday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 17,1423 |
Murali in hot waters
COLOMBO, July 27: Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is to face a disciplinary inquiry following comments he made in a recent TV interview.
The Island newspaper Saturday reported that Muralitharan will face a five-man panel next Tuesday after criticising the way Sri Lankan cricket is being run.
The panel will be chaired by Hemaka Aamarasuriya, chairman of the Board of Control’s Interim Committee.
The news follows a row over Muralitharan’s non-selection for the second cricket Test against Bangladesh, which starts here Sunday.
He took 10 wickets during Sri Lanka’s innings victory in the opening Test, lifting his career total to 430.
But the selectors decided before start of the series that they would rest eight senior players for second game, in order to give some of their youngsters Test experience.
The decison to omit Muralitharan prompted Sports Minister Johnston Fernando to intervene and call for his reinstatement.
“Since he is fit, in-form and willing to play, I don’t see any reason as why we should stop him,” he was quoted as saying.
The selectors insisted, however, that final XI would be picked from 15-man squad they originally named for the game.
Sri Lanka have not won a single Test without Muralitharan in the team since he made his debut in 1992.—PPI
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