It's a big achievement for me - Murali

Stadium needs improvements

CRICKET: Sri Lanka's spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan said that his milestone of claiming one hundred wickets is a tremendous achievement but called for an all round improvement of ground conditions at the Asgiriya International Stadium in Kandy.

Muralitharan returned excellent figures of six wickets for 28 runs to help his side bundle out Bangladesh for 131 runs in their first innings on the second day of the third and final Test match. The 35 year old off spinner said that he had earlier completed the same feat at the SSC grounds and Galle Stadium but to perform a similar role in front of his home crowd was quite unique.

Muralitharan also called for an improvement of conditions at the Asgiriya Stadium because the facilities need to be upgraded with the England team scheduled to play a Test match at this same venue in December.

He cast doubts of overtaking Shane Warne's record of 708 wickets during the two Test series against Australia in November as the conditions there will be more seamer friendly and will not assist his kind of bowling with Shane Warne having retired from the team. But he noted that it is still doubtful whether he will be able to have a bowl in the second innings of the Bangladesh innings especially with the kind of weather which has experienced in Kandy during the past couple of days.

He stressed the fact that Sri Lanka need to build up a good total of exceeding three hundred runs in their first innings and then they will have a great chance of pulling off the match.

Muralitharan observed that Bangladesh should be given further encouragement to improve their game and in time to come they could be a major force in Test cricket as well. He said that Bangladesh is currently going through a tough period similar to of what Sri Lanka experienced soon after they had gained Test status.

Muralitharan said that Bangladesh players need to play more four day matches to improve their standard because they have the talent and the potential to make an impact in the game. He said that Bangladesh should be given a three Test series by all other nations unlike it was in the case of Sri Lanka who had to play one off Test matches for quite some time.

(C. D.)