17 November 2004	Wednesday	04 Shawwal 1425

MELBOURNE, Nov 16: Muttiah Muralitharan's suggestion that Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie all bowl illegal deliveries was disappointing and unfair, Australia's players and officials said on Tuesday.

They responded after the Sri Lankan, one of the world's leading spinners but himself under scrutiny for years because of his controversial bowling, questioned the actions of the three quick bowlers in a Melbourne radio interview on Monday.

"It's probably a little bit disappointing. I've never said anything against him in the past and he was quick to name me," McGrath told local television on Tuesday.

Australia batsman Matthew Hayden told reporters: "Sticks and stones kind of stuff from Murali in the papers is not going to get him any favours in world cricket.

"Now suddenly we're getting people saying: 'Well he bowls at 10 degrees and he bowls at this'... I think the best way is to let the naked eye judge who's bowling legal actions and who's not."

Off spinner Muralitharan's 'doosra', a delivery spinning away rather than into right-handers, was outlawed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in May after a report concluded he illegally straightened his arm during delivery.

The controversy over Muralitharan's bowling has been one of the main reasons behind extensive research into how much bowlers bend their arms.

The sports governing body ruled spinners should be permitted five degrees of bend, medium pacers 7.5 and fast bowlers 10. Muralitharan's doosra was initially measured at around 14 degrees.

But last week an ICC bowling committee recommended that all bowlers be allowed to straighten their arms by up to 15 degrees.

Muralitharan, who feels he has been victimised because of his success in taking 532 test wickets, a figure only bettered by Australia's Shane Warne, said McGrath, Gillespie and Lee all bowled with between 12 and 15 degrees of flexion.

"So what about them then, the Australian players?" he added.

Australian Cricketers' Association chief executive Tim May responded: "I sat on that (ICC) committee and I don't know where those figures (quoted by Muralitharan) came from.

"(But) there has been a lot of speculation around Murali. So I have sympathy for him."

Muralitharan, whose bowling action is also affected by a birth defect preventing him from fully extending his elbow, has particularly bitter memories of his visits to Australia.

He has twice been called for throwing there and refused to join Sri Lanka's tour of Australia this year.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said on Monday it was unfair on individual players for their names to be used in an emotional public debate which does not take account of the complex science behind what the ICC is examining.-Reuters