SYDNEY, June 5: Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan may miss the triangular one-day series with England and Australia here in December-January because of fears local umpires will call him for chucking.
The Sydney Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday that the Sri Lankan believed Australian umpires are targetting him unfairly and it would not be worth coming here just a month before the World Cup in South Africa.
Muralitharan may well be right.
Former policeman Ross Emerson, the last umpire to no-ball the Sri Lankan, said last week the 30-year-old was paving the way for a generation of chuckers.
Emerson, who no-balled the off-spinner amid dramatic scenes in Adelaide three years ago, said it was “an absolute joke” Muralitharan was on track to become Test cricket’s top wicket-taker of all time, as he neared West Indian Courtney Walsh’s record of 519.
Muralitharan’s tally is 417 from 74 Tests after he captured 5-143 in a marathon 64-over stint against England in the second Test at Edgbaston last Saturday, when he snapped up five or more victims in an innings for the 34th time.
“They are talking about him as the best spin bowler ever, but how many people has he got out through illegal actions?” Emerson asked in an interview with the Perth Sunday Times.
Emerson’s broadside came only days after Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist was reprimanded by the Australian Cricket Board for saying Muralitharan’s action was illegal.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has agreed with Sri Lankan officials that an “anatomical disorder” gives the illusion that Muralitharan’s arm does not straighten.
Emerson sparked amazing scenes at Adelaide Oval in the 1998-99 season when he no-balled Muralitharan during a one-day game between Sri Lanka and England.
Emerson’s action led to a threat by Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga to take his team from the field.
It was some minutes before Ranatunga agreed to resume the match.
Emerson paid a big price for his action — he was sacked by the ACB two days later and has not been reinstated to international duties.
Australian One-day cricket captain Ricky Ponting admitted Wednesday Australians would continue trying to unsettle opponents with unrelenting sledging.
However, Ponting referred to the verbal assaults as “friendly banter”.
“I don’t mind a bit of the friendly banter going on but I’ve said right from the start that I don’t like, and won’t like, any personal barrages towards anyone,” he said.
Australian cricketers were last week accused of being serial sledgers by South African players.
South African rookie Graeme Smith described their verbal assaults in the February-March Test series as “below the belt”.
He singled out opener Matthew Hayden as the worst culprit, although he named Ponting, star spinner Shane Warne, Mark Waugh, Justin Langer and wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist as just as foul-mouthed.
Ponting rejected the allegations.
“The umpires and the match referees in that series didn’t think we stepped over the line so that is why it is so shocking to actually read about some of the things that were supposedly said,” Ponting said.
Ponting said Australia’s players were still waiting to hear from the Australian Cricket Board about their proposed tour to strife-torn Pakistan in late August.
That tour looks more and more unlikely with Australia’s Foreign Minister Alexander Downer calling on Australians to evacuate the sub-continent.
But next week Australia and Pakistan play the first match in a three-match one-day series in Melbourne Wednesday. —AFP/Reuters