MELBOURNE, Jan 13: Australian crowds continued to torment brilliant Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan here Friday, repeating the taunts that once angered him so much he pulled out of a 2004 Test tour of the country.

Muralitharan, who has signalled he may retire from cricket next year, was greeted by chants of “no ball” from large sections of the crowd at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome as he bowled during Sri Lanka’s opening tri-series one-day match against the host nation.

The taunts came despite appeals by Sri Lanka’s Australian coach Tom Moody for his compatriots to recognise Muralitharan’s rare talent and welcome the 33-year-old.

The biggest jeers came as Muralitharan, whose tally of 584 Test wickets is second only to Australia’s Shane Warne, began his first and second spells.

Muralitharan was no-balled for throwing in the 1995 Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne and later forced to undergo a series of tests by human movement specialists to clear his bowling action.

Last year he was warmly received while playing for an Asian XI during a charity game to raise money for victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

That welcome, combined with the generous response of Australians to the plight of those affected by the tsunami, helped convince Muralitharan to play here again.—AFP