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| Thursday, 20 May 2004 |
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Sports | |
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Murali think afresh by Premasara Epasinghe Welcome back - Murali. This is to greet the total team as well, who have been able to bag, a whole series of records. But, when everything is said and done, Muralitharan's, achievement in Harare, standsout, as an unparalleled victory by a Sri Lankan, to date. In such a situation, there is a collective euphoria in the country. This is inevitable in the nature of things. Cricket as a game is almost a national pastime. Anyone, who shines in that field, invariably receives limitless adoration. This has happened pre-eminently, to our Murali especially, because the people find a dearth of real heroes for whom they can lustily, cheer. All these points to one end - Murali has to lead his life in perpetual limelight. What does this imply? The undoubted outcome of this development is that even his personal decisions relating to the game acquire a national implication. What will Muralitharan do next? Where will he go from here? What will he contribute to our national image? For the masses of this country, who have been his keen fan followers, these questions are real. They really matter to them. In this background, Murali, has to be particularly, sensitive to reaction of the people, to the globally publicised news. This may be only a hesitation and not a firm resolve yet. According to this news, he is said to be pre-occupied with the notion of skipping the Australian Tour in June-July 2004. No authoritative information has been released about this matter. But, I may be echoing the national sentiments, when I say that Murali should not even think about such a move. What international sin has Murali committed, to hide from Someone or avoid meeting those who have to be met. On the contrary, Murali has asserted his eminent skills at a global level. This makes it possible for him to go anywhere in the world with a halo, round his head and his head held high. Let us face the situation and let Sri Lanka Cricket too, face the situation. Is it proper by our glorious national stature, to adopt a demeaning attitude of avoiding responsibility, because of a trepidation of what a handful of detractors would do when we have a world of unabashed and uninhibited admirers. Why should we harm ourselves by concentrating on a limited set of persons who are incapable of recognising the essential spirit of cricket. Therefore, my strong advice to Murali, is this- Go Murali Go - Assert yourself - |
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