‘King’ Murali

Holder of two world records:

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE

His name is burnished in the rich silverware of World Test cricket....once again!

As Muttiah Muralitheran worked his magic fingers, fliped his wrists and arm, and the ball took a calculated off spin, surely an angel in flight looked down from the cricketing heavens and waved the wand, and Murali took his 503rd wicket that of Gautham Gambhir.

Earlier he had Yuvraj Singh caught at cover by skipper Mahela Jayawardena in the Third one dayer to equal the record. Then in the Fourth one-day he scalped Gautham Gambhir caught by Kumar Sangakkara to go top of the one-day world wicket taking record. Cause for Celebration. Double wicket record for the spinning sensation.

Murali deservedly became the highest wicket taker in one-day cricket in the world record books, breaking Wasim Akram’s feat that stood for sometime. And what is more, Murali is also and remarkably, the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, having broken Shane Warne’s record.

Save for the parallel one can draw with Sachin Tendulkar the India great, who in the field of batting, has two records-most centuries in Test and one-day internationals, there is no peer for Murali.

It’s tempting for us cricketing scribes to focus on the numbers, as statistics are what records are generally about. But the occasion demands that posterity should recognise that behind cold statistics and numbers is the spirit, the grit and the determination of the record-breaker.

For us in Sri Lanka, a small country and a relative junior in what was a snobbish and hierarchical international cricket fraternity, achievements such as Murali’s and those of our contemporary giants such as Sanath Jayasuriya, capitulated Sri Lanka to a pedestal of respect...and at times, fear.

Murali in particular went through the emotional grinding mill of being subjected to microscopic scrutiny by international watchdogs. For a bowler such scrutiny, attacks and adverse publicity can be psychologically draining.

It can chips at one’s sub conscience to a point that one’s nervous system can play ducks and drakes. But Murali....and Sri Lanka have proved to be made of sterner stuff. He, and we the Sri Lankan cricket fraternity, did not take things lying down!

Murali himself was an inspiration for the doubting Thomas, as he was pretty consistent in his approach to his style of bowling and its integrity. Ultimately the cricket spin doctors had to give up and relent.

Sri Lanka came into Test Cricket only 27 years ago, in cricketing history that is more than 100 years ago. Over the recent past we have earned our rightful place in the box office of cricket identity.

But Test cricket aside, the inspiration for our cricketers were also drawn from giants of old such as P. Saravanamuttu, Mahadevan Sathasivam, C.I. Gunesekera, F.C. de Saram, Sargo Jayawickrema, Stanley Jayasinghe, Michael Tissera, Abu Fuard, Bertie Wijesinghe, A.C.M. Lafir, Duleep Mendis and other giants of that ilk.

Like them and those in our own vintage of today, like Murali, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Kulasekera, Dilhara Fernando and Ajantha Mendis who lead the pack will remain an inspiration to our present generation of aspiring cricketers and for generations to come.

Thus Murali will always remember.... and they him.