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| February 24, 2003 | Monday | Zul Hijjah 22, 1423 |
No relief for Muralitharan
NAIROBI, Feb 23: Sri Lanka’s star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan goes into Monday’s World Cup clash against Kenya here facing a stern Australian examination of his bowling action.
Muralitharan, a bane of Aussie umpires in the past, will be supervised by Australian official Daryl Harper who is a member of the elite eight-man panel of umpires.
Unlike compatriots Darrel Hair and Ross Emerson, Harper has not called Muralitharan for throwing, but the Sri Lankans remain wary of umpires from down under.
Muralitharan, rated the best bowler ever by cricket’s bible Wisden, was at the centre of a storm over his controversial action on each of three visits to Australia.
He was no-balled for throwing by Hair during the second Test at the Melboure Cricket Ground in December 1995, and again by umpires Tony McQuillan and Emerson during a one-day clash against the West Indies in Brisbane in January, 1996.
When Sri Lanka returned to Australia in 1998-99, West Australian Emerson called Muralitharan during a One-day International in Adelaide which almost saw skipper Arjuna Ranatunga stage a walk-out.
Australian fans jeered Muralitharan when he came on to bowl during the latest trip earlier this year, prompting the bowler to say he will never play in Australia again.
The ICC has cleared Muralitharan of his action, saying the deformity in the bowler’s wrist gave the impression that he was throwing the ball at the point of delivery.—AFP
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