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| Friday, 20 February 2004 |
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'Murali' a devilishly clever bowler' by Clifford Landers from Australia Melbourne (Thursday) - Sri Lanka's spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan did not require to bowl at an Australian batsman but seem to have already deceived and baffled a part of the touring party - a section of Australia's curious and probing media- with his latest weapon of mass destruction, the 'doosra'. According to an article published in the widely read 'Herald Sun' newspaper here on Tuesday and reported from Sri Lanka by its columnist Robert Craddock, the photographer accompanying him was sent to the nets where the Sri Lanka squad was at practice in Colombo to obtain close-up pictures of Murali's deliveries in a bid to "try to unlock the mystery of how a bowler could seemingly spin a ball one way with his fingers and have it turn the other way when it hits the pitch", the article stressed "with the naked eye, he (photographer) unearthed nothing". The first paragraph reads: "Whether he chucks or not, Muthiah Muralitharan is a devilishly clever bowler." It added that: "The decade-long debate over his action has masked the fact he might just be the most inventive spin bowler to walk the earth since Clarrie Gimmett 70 years ago." "No matter the bona fides of his action, Muralitharan's new mystery ball that spins away from right-handed batsmen- challenging all the dictates of logic and physics that suggest it should turn the other way- is the closest thing cricket has to a magic act." "Curse him or worship him, he is a mini-David Copperfield, as Steve Waugh once called him." "The new ball which tormented England probably won't bother Australia too much." "There is a feeling left-handers find it easier to play the mystery ball because it spins into their pads. Australia will stock its Test top order with up to five lefties", it said. "But in a game in which the domination of bat over ball is becoming tiresome, at last we have something fresh and quirky to talk about." Craddock claims that the breakthrough in unlocking the mystery ball "came later at the hotel when still shots of Murali's action revealed a grip change from his stock ball, the off-break, to his mystery ball that turns the other way." "The photo revealed that Murali manages to position his hand in a position for a genuine leg-break before he delivers his mystery ball." "His arm moves so quickly it is extremely difficult to detect the change with the naked eye." Murali's whiplash arm action is so quick that even in the photos, taken at 1000th of a second, his hand and wrist are blurred", it added. "Both are moving at a scintillating pace, even faster than a 150km/h Brett Lee thunderbolt." He also revealed the difficulties of how Murali's own teammates struggled to read his deceptive deliveries during practice. "Teammates are usually the first to unlock a bowler's secret's because they see so much of them in the nets." "Murali said yesterday that he hoped his new ball would be as successful against Australia as it was against England, and that he spent four years developing it." "It looks time well spent", the article which had two photos of Murali delivering the leg-spinner and the off-spinner in the nets, concluded. The article was sub-headed "Now for his next trick" and received second preference to the main heading Murali: I'll boycott hostile Aussie tour" highlighting Murali's strong protests against hostile Aussie crowds and threatens to boycott the next tour. As much as Shane Warne had received media attention in Sri Lanka since his 'resurrection from exile', Muralitharan has had similar media focus here in Australia. Meanwhile, former Australian captain Steve Waugh in his column also published in the Herald Sun on Wednesday under the heading "Lefties to foil Murali magic" read "While September's tour to India is being hailed by many as the final frontier for Australia, a challenge of equal importance and difficulty faces the squad next month." "Winning in Sri Lanka has proved to be demanding, and already the locals are returning Ricky Ponting's positive mental probes with some aggressive thoughts of their own". He also stressed the importance of the Australian players to take courage in facing the next six weeks with the weather bound to play a major role. "Each day will be a challenge because of the stinging sun and debilitating humidity that saps the energy." Every Sri Lankan should take note of Waugh's final paragraph as it is arguable that it was in the context of an indirect compliment. "The guys will love the people because they are the happiest and friendliest on the planet and the hotels are equal to anywhere in the world". |
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