![]() |
![]() |
The
mesmerizing off-spinner from Sri Lanka grabbed the headlines during the
1st test between Sri Lanka and South Africa at Durban. Murali entered into
the record books by taking the wicket of Shaun Pollock; his 300th
victim. Muralitharan’s
achievement is not like any other achievement which can be forgotten in
hurry. He is the second quickest bowler to take 300 wickets in the list of
‘300 club’. In fact, he has played fewer tests than the current
pace-giant Glen McGrath ! Ever
since the Sri Lankans have entered into the test-arena, there have not
been a single world clubs bowler, till the Muthiah Muralidharan phenomenon
happened; Murali is also the first Sri Lankan to get this out-standing
feat. But
it has never been a bed of roses for the offfie. Murali has seen a very
tough time (a nightmare). He has been called a ‘Chucker’ and has been
‘no-balled’ by the Australian Umpires. Only the people, who are made
of sterner stuff, can overcome this kind of humiliating experience. But,
thanks to the immense courage and support by his former captain, Arjuna
Ranatunga, Murali fought and not only he fought, he conquered the
over-whelming odds. Today, Sri Lanka has only one bowler to win a Test
match and it is only Muthiah Muralitharan. Infact, he is carrying a load
of responsibilities on his shoulders and he has always lived upto the
expectations of his team. Sri
Lanka won two-consecutive test-series in Pakistan, due to Murali’s
brilliant bowling. Of course, the effort of the batsmen cannot be
discounted but it was Murali -“the wrecker in chief”. And
who can forget the haul of 16 for 220 against England at Oval Test, when
Murali single handedly won the Test match for Sri Lanka. It is said that
Murali is the kind of bowler, who can turn the ball even on glass! Murali
has performed with the same dexterity at everyplace, wherever he’s
played. In fact, he has never depended on any kind of help from the track.
This is the quality which separates a good bowler to greater bowler. Now,
Murali has set an eye on the ‘500 club’, where only Courtney Walsh can
go in the near future. But his aim is neither unrealistic nor
unachievable. If his form continues like this for another two or three
years, he might be the quickest to achieve the 500th wicket!
|
|
| Homepage | On Line Polls | Polling Results | Post Your | Messages From | Rankings | Statistics | Teams | Autographs | |
| Cric-Calendar | New Interviews | Picture Gallery | World Records | History | Comparative Charts | Refine Your Cricket | |
| Cricketology | Dream Team | Time to Laugh | Did U Know | Legends | Quotations | Savi's Diary | Fan-doo Letters | |
| Match fixing Saga | Articles Archive | Cric-couples | Inspiration from Hollywood | Dupliket | Chat | |
| World Cup Archive | Chilli 'N' Pepper | Columns | Controversies | |
|
Contest | Tournament
Info | News | Membership
| |