COLOMBO, March 8: Sri Lanka’s cricket board condemned Friday former West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding for casting doubts over the island’s ace spin bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan.

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka said in a statement Holding’s comments were “unwarranted” and “irresponsible” and clearly intended to cast doubts over Muralitharan’s bowling action.

Holding was reported to have said that he agreed with comments made by the former Indian left-arm spinner Bishen Singh Bedi that Muralitharan’s action was illegal.

But Holding’s comments could prove more important than those from other former international players because he heads the International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) technical committee on illegal bowling actions.

The Sri Lankan Board said they had raised Holding’s comments with the ICC and stressed that the cricketing body cleared Muralitharan’s action in 1999.

“Mr Holding’s comments are a deliberate insult to his predecessors on the ICC advisory panel on illegal deliveries,” the Sri Lankan Board said.

The board questioned the timing of Holding’s comments, which came ahead of the ICC Champions’ Trophy in September and the World Cup in South Africa in February/March next year.

“It is strange that Mr Bedi’s and Mr Holding’s comments were made 10 years after Mr Muralitharan began playing international cricket,” the board said.

Sri Lanka’s record breaking off-spinner is currently the seventh highest wicket taker in the world with 408 Test wickets before the start of the Asian Test Championship final in Lahore.—AFP