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cricket Muralitharan
joins Shane Warne in an ultra-exclusive club Can
Pakistan live up to expectations in T20 World Cup? cricket Muralitharan:
700 and up Arif
Butt:
cricket There is
no denying the fact that Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Multan-born cricket maestro, was
made a scapegoat by the cricket Big Brothers after Pakistan's dismal first
round exit from cricket World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean islands earlier this
year. However, in the post-World Cup circumstances, that are not favouring
'Big Inzi', there are many who are now openly questioning as to when is the
legend going to retire from Test cricket as well. It seems
that Inzi-phobia prevailing over the national cricket may deny Inzamam one
last chance to surpass legendary Miandad's record of most runs in Tests
during the September-October home series against South Africa and make a
final swansong. After a The
irony is that on the one hand, circumstances created by those at the helm of
affairs have turned hostile to Inzamam, while on the other Inzi too made an
undue delay in announcing his plans regarding retirement in advance. It is
said that he should have called it a day from both genres of cricket after
World Cup 2007 or should have continued with both form of cricket. Because by
retiring from ODIs, he has given an opportunity to the anti-Inzi mafia to
maneuver against him and deny him a ceremonious exit from Test cricket. The
current circumstances, which may force Inzamam to cease playing Test cricket,
have made him another addition to long list of Pakistan cricketing greats who
left the sports scene among atmosphere of bitterness and resentment. Ian
Chappell, was once quoted to have said that the time to retire from the game
is when people are still asking, "When will you... ?" rather than
"Why donít you... ?"† However,
generally speaking, in the case of Pakistan cricketers, it seems that our
national heroes most often than not fail to appreciate the distinction.
Inzamam, like many of his predecessors, too fits the case. If Inzamam had
retired soon after the Indian tour in 2005, he would have enjoyed a higher
batting average and a permanent image as a non-controversial batting legend
of Pakistan cricket. But since he retired after the World Cup disaster
coupled with an earlier Oval fiasco, the entire slur has been put on him.
This is not justified. We should not extend such treatment to a national
hero. It may
be mentioned here that we as a nation too have developed a psyche to make a
fuss of everything and do not let even our national heroes. Our cricket
history indicates that virtually most of our cricketing geniuses have not
retired with dignity. This is nothing new in Pakistan cricket. When a
legend is at its fag end, he is pushed out of the scene. They are rather
forced to cease play. Little Master Hanif Mohammad, then 36, was forced to
announce his retirement in the middle of a home series against New Zealand in
1969. Asian Bradman Zaheer Abbas announced his retirement in 1985, when he
was 38, during a home series against Sri Lanka but was 'pressurised' to play
the final Test. The duo
of bowling greats -- Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, too announced their
retirement in circumstances that forced them to quit in an unceremonious way
in the wake of Pakistan's pathetic performance in World Cup 2003. The purpose
to say is that so many great cricketers have been humiliated out of Pakistan
cricket in similar bizarre fashion. It is
worth-mentioning here that Inzamam has been regarded among the most
accomplished of Pakistani cricketers. But a greater catastrophe that hit
Pakistan cricket after its first round exit from the World Cup 2007, followed
by the sad demise of Coach Bob Woolmer, created such circumstances that all
went against the big Inzi. It all landed the great cricketer in such a crisis
that he had to not only take the responsibility for the entire World Cup
debacle, but also faced the wrath of those at the helm of cricket affairs. That's
why Inzamam, one of Pakistan's most successful batsmen, decided to retire
from one-day cricket besides stepping down from captaincy after the World Cup
debacle. He, however, made it clear that he intends to continue playing Test
cricket. And his supporters think he has made a mistake by making himself
available for this genre of cricket, particularly after the PCB Probe
Committee report, which, in a bid to absolve itself of the World Cup debacle,
made Inzamam a scapegoat. And now, instead of eulogizing Inzamam's qualities,
everyone is bemoaning his faults. The
latest on the legendry Inzamam is that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last week
announced the names of twenty players, who were awarded Central Contracts for
six months but ex-Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq's name was overlooked for
the contract. It
indicates that the board wants Inzamam to call it a day. The reality is that
by declaring Inzamam a 'dictator' or ignoring him for the Central Contract,
the cricketing big bosses cannot nullify the services of Inzamam to the cause
of the cricket. Inzamam is one of the highest run-getters in ODI cricket
having scored 11,739 runs from 378 appearances. Inzamam is also the second
highest scorer in Test cricket for Pakistan with 8,813 runs from 119 Tests.
In fact he just needs 20 more runs to overtake former Pakistan captain Javed
Miandad as the all-time top scorer for Pakistan in Test cricket. It would
have been excellent had the PCB allowed Inzamam a swansong by fielding him in
the home series against South Africa in September-October this year so that
he can break Miandad's record of most Test runs for Pakistan. But then who
cares for the national heroes in our part of the world. The
assertion that Inzamam-ul-Haq is the greatest batsman Pakistan ever produced
is absolutely right. On the statistics tables, he stands with the Pakistani
batting greats Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas; Javed Miandad's average of 41
runs is made up of just 218 ODI innings while Zaheer Abbas's innings average
of 47 runs spans over just 60 One-day Internationals. It means that Inzamam's
batting average of 40 runs per innings, though lower than his two countrymen,
is a greater achievement in view of the fact that Inzamam played 380 One-day
International matches, at least six times more than those played by Zaheer
Abbas. It was
due to his sheer brilliant performance that we had won the 1992 World Cup. He
was the hero. He is the hero and will remain so. Now that
Inzamam's predecessors too have started advising him to retire, he should not
show reluctance to leave the limelight, as his fans want him to leave in
dignity rather providing those at the helm of affairs with an opportunity to
push him out of the scene. Because after the announcement of names of players
who have been awarded central contract by the board it has become certain,
that the cricket big brothers are adamant not to let him play. Though
it will be a great injustice to the legend, who has scored 8813 runs in 119
Tests for Pakistan is just 20 runs short to overtake Javed Miandad (Miandad
mustered 8,832 runs in 124 Test matches) as the highest run-getter for the
country, but then the anti-Inzi circumstances stress the need for dignified
exit of Inzamam, whose terrific memories will remain with us for long. Right
now such circumstances have been created which go against Inzamam and his
well-wishers and fans fear the inevitable will happens and he will be pushed
out which will be at the cost of his own dignity. So that the legend continue
to occupy a cherished spot in the public imagination for ever like the iconic
figures i.e. Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath (to name just a few), who said
adieu to the ditty of cricket with grace and dignity. To
conclude, one would agree with Asian Bradman Zaheer Abbas, who too has
advised Inzamam to leave honorably. Former Pakistan Captain and Manager
Zaheer Abbas was quoted to have said, "It's the best time for Inzamam to
leave the arena and allow youngsters to replace him in the larger interest of
the game. He (Inzamam) served the country and brought laurels for Pakistan
both as a batsman and captain and he should quit now honorably. It is best
for him (Inzamam) to avoid more controversies," he maintained and
recalled that majority of Pakistan cricketers never took a right decision at
the fag end of their careers but Inzamam has the opportunity to do so.
In the
third Test at Kandy recently, Bangladesh tailender Syed Rasel tried to send
the ball out of the ground but failed and became Muttiah
Muralitharan's 700th Test
victim. Murali joins the exceptionally elite 700-wicket club in Test cricket
alongside Australian master spinner Shane Warne who has the world record of
most Test wickets with 708 victims. Before
starting the series against Bangladesh Muralitharan needed 26 wickets to
complete his 700 in Tests and before the third and final Test he still needed
12 wickets more. It was uncertain if he could get 12 wickets in the match or
he would wait for the After
completing the Test series against Bangladesh, Muralitharn is just nine
wickets behind surpassing the Australian Warne's World record tally of 708
and in the upcoming two Test matches against Australia in Brisbane and Hobart
in November, Muralitharan has an opportunity to overcome Warne's record on
the latter's territory. "It
is a big achievement taking 700 wickets, but I think I can achieve a little
bit more," said a delighted Muralitharan after the game. "The
possibility of the record falling in Australia is high, but it all depends on
how I bowl. But more than a personal milestone well be focusing on winning
the Test series in Australia," Muralitharan said. Sri
Lanka won all three Test matches in the Bangladesh series by innings margins.
Muralitharan received the Man of the Match award in the Kandy Test and was
also declared Man of the Series for his 26 wickets in the three Tests. The
35-year-old master spinner wants to play till the next limited-overs World
Cup in 2011 and he wants to get the four figure mark in Test cricket by then.
Over a
career spanning around 15 years, Murali has come a long way from the bowler
who needed 27 Tests to get to his first 100 wickets, but his last 200 wickets
have come in just 26 Tests and he took just 12 Tests to move from 600 to 700
wickets. He has
now become one of the most lethal bowlers in the world, feared for his
abilities to puzzle even the best of batsmen. He has the ability to extract
turn even from the most docile of pitches and where nothing works, he brings
in to bear his devastating surprise weapon, the fearsome 'doosra' which is a
delivery that turns away from the right-handed batsmen. Muralitharan
has a best Test innings return of 9-51 and a match haul of 10 wickets or more
on a world record 20 occasions. He has grabbed five or more wickets in an
innings a record 60 times. He was declared Wisden Cricketer of the Year in
1999. He is
one of the essential elements of Sri Lankan cricket especially in Test
matches. Throughout his career, he has been Sri Lanka's main bowler both for
taking wickets and for keeping the runs in check. Just how much the team
depends on him is obvious from the numbers below: in the matches that he has
played, Murali's taken 41% of the total wickets nailed by all bowlers. But in
the second VB Series final against world champions Australia at Adelaide in
2005, Muralitharan conceded a record 99 runs in his 10 overs. Of course, it
was Muralitharan's most expensive ODI figures. Murali's
bent-arm action has remained under scrutiny through his career. He has twice
been called for throwing, in a Test match in Melbourne in 1995 and during a
One-day International in Adelaide in 1998. But the ICC cleared his action
both times following extensive bio-mechanical research and deep discussion
with the experts, but he was again reported for a suspect action two months
later after the conclusion of Australia's tour to Sri Lanka. MUTTIAH MURALITHARAN:
TEST CAREER Mat
O
R
W
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
5w
10w Overall
113
6230.2
14931
700
9/51
16/220
21.33
2.39
53.4
60
20 v
Australia
11
569.3
1728
55
6/59
11/212
31.41
3.03
62.1
5
1 v
Bangladesh
9
351.4
908
76
6/18
12/82
11.94
2.58
27.7
10
3 v
England
13
914.5
1836
93
9/65
16/220
19.74
2.00
59.0
6
4 v India
15
795.4
2176
67
8/87
11/196
32.47
2.73
71.2
4
1 v New
Zealand
12
630.2
1449
69
6/87
10/118
21.00
2.29
54.8
5
1 v
Pakistan
14
713.1
1842
79
6/71
10/148
23.31
2.58
54.1
5
1 v South
Africa
15
984.4
2311
104
7/84
13/171
22.22
2.34
56.8
11
4 v West
Indies
10
483.4
1214
70
8/46
11/170
17.34
2.50
41.4
8
3 v
Zimbabwe
14
786.5
1467
87
9/51
13/115
16.86
1.86
54.2
6
2 Home 64
3644
8260
432
9/51
13/115
19.12
2.26
50.6
40
14 Away 49
2586.2
6671
268
9/65
16/220
24.89
2.57
57.9
20
6 MOST
TEST WICKETS (500 or more) Name Team
Mat
R
W
Ave
Best
5w
10w
SR
Econ S K
Warne
Aus
145
17995
708
25.41
8-71
37
10
57.4
2.65 M
Muralitharan
SL G D
McGrath
Aus A Kumble
Ind
115
15779
552
28.58
10-74
33
8
64.9
2.64 C A
Walsh
WI
132
12688
519
24.44
7-37
22
3
57.8
2.53 As Lawson has stepped into Woolmer's shoes, he must've realised it by now that coaching Pakistan is one heck of a job! By Muhammad Shahbaz Zahid Former
Australian pacer Geoff Lawson has finally been named Team Pakistan's new
cricket coach ahead of his other two country-mates -- Dav Whatmore and
Richard Done. The need
to find a new coach for the national team came up after former coach Bob
Woolmer passed away during the recently-held Cricket World Cup in the
Caribbean. Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room in Jamaica after Pakistan
had bowed out of the quadrennial event following successive defeats to hosts
West Indies and minnows Ireland in their opening two matches. Woolmer's
death was first termed as a murder but after months of investigations and
false speculations he finally, and correctly too, was pronounced dead as a
result of heart attack. As
Lawson has stepped into Woolmer's shoes, he must've realised it by now that
coaching Pakistan is one heck of a job! Pakistan
have recently suffered poorest of results on the international arena with the
exception of a One-day International (ODI) series win against under-strength
Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi after the World Cup. They had two matches pencilled in
-- one against Scotland and another against India -- in the UK but both of
them were cancelled because of poor weather. The real
concern for the new coach (Lawson) can be the team's lack of consistency,
big-tournament temperament and performances on away tours. Everybody knows
how poorly Pakistan performed in the World Cup and on the tours of England
and South Africa before that. The first task ahead for Lawson is a very
crucial one; and that is the Twenty20 World Cup. The
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) a few days back announced Team Pakistan's 30-man
preliminary squad for the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup, which
would be held in South Africa this September. The final 15-man squad for the
tournament will be announced in August. With the
interim squad announced, there weren't any surprises in it with 'almost' all
of the leading players included for the first ever T20 Championship. And with
a few rookies named too, the squad presents a fresh look with an aim to
provide stable backup for the team once its big name stars retire from the
international scene. Pakistan
have been placed in Group D of the September 11-24 event alongside
arch-rivals India and minnows Scotland. The
tough task ahead for the national selection committee is how to trim the
30-man interim squad to just fifteen. And to select such a squad which can
perform up to expectations of millions of fans is another difficulty the
selectors face. The
preliminary squad which was announced on 10th of July includes Pakistan's
premier batsman Mohammad Yousuf. Mr dependable is currently second-ranked
batsman in the world in Tests and is also considered a class-act in ODIs as
well. But still Yousuf, who is called the backbone of Pakistan batting
line-up, may not be selected for the final squad. Why,
because Yousuf is considered to be the poorest fielder in the Pakistan squad.
A player's fielding abilities are regarded vital in T20 form of the game. And
when it comes to Twenty20 cricket, what a team needs is energetic and pacey
fielders which Yousuf surely isn't. But Yousuf's batting supremacy is
unmatched at least in the Pakistan squad and leaving him out would sure be a
big big risk! The
list, at last, includes pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar who now feels that he is
'super-fit' than ever after going through Army-style training camp in
Abbottabad. He was also seen pumped up in the Lahore-leg of training camps in
preparation for the T20 tournament. The next leg of the training camps will
be held here in Karachi when the final squad will be selected for the T20
tourney. Mohammad
Asif, who missed this year's World Cup because of fitness and doping-related
problems, has also been included in the squad. Asif,
who was recently named vice-captain of the team for the Abu Dhabi series but
was later taken off the responsibility after Salman Butt was named Malik's
deputy, has been bowling in full flow in the nets and his involvement will be
a huge boost for Pakistan's renowned pace attack. Former
vice-captain Younis Khan, who has not played for Pakistan since refusing to
lead the team following Inzamam-ul-Haq's resignation this March, is also
included in the list. If
Yousuf isn't selected for the T20 event then Younis sure has a major part to
play for the team. Younis's commitment has been questioned in the past few
months after he refused to play for the country instead opting to play for
Yorkshire. But he
would have to make sure that he is fully committed this time around because
Pakistan surely needs to do well in the upcoming tournament and after their
recent World Cup flop, a triumph in the T20 event would surely be a welcome
boost for Pakistan cricket. Leg-spinner
Danish Kaneria, who was dropped from Pakistan's ODI squad after a
disappointing World Cup is also included in the squad. Spinners do play a
major role in Twenty20 cricket in slowing down the run-rate but this thing
doesn't assure Kaneria's place in the final squad. Kaneria has always been
seen as a Test bowler and a selection nod for him in the squad doesn't look
likely. The
interim list also includes Karachi youngster Fawad Alam who has been the star
performer in domestic T20 competitions. He surely is on the track to cement
his spot in the final line-up. All-rounder
Abdul Razzaq, who also missed the World Cup due to an injury, is back in the
frame too. Razzaq, who is considered as one of the most destructive batsmen
when in full flow, would be a pleasant addition back in the squad. And along
with his good line and length bowling, he surely would be come out handy if
Pakistan are to succeed in the competition. Opening
dilemma might still continue following Salman Butt's inclusion in the squad
again after the World Cup. Though
the interim squad contains Yasir Hameed, who has performed well at the
opening spot, Imran Nazir, who hammered 160 no in a World Cup game, Mohammad
Hafeez, who is a very useful off-spinner as well, and Imran Farhat among
others, the choice to select openers might still puzzle the selectors. Shahid
Afridi, back to his full fitness, is sure to make the final squad. The
swashbuckling all-rounder, who was termed the most 'fittest' player in the
Abbottabad camp, can prove to be 'the most important player' if Pakistan are
to advance in the tournament. Afridi, who still holds the record for scoring
the fastest ODI century, would be a handful too with his spinners. Mohammad
Sami is also likely to get into the final squad along with Umar Gul. Though
Rao Iftikhar performed decently in the World Cup, his chances of making it
into the final fifteen seem less after Shoaib's and Asif's returns. Yasir
Arafat, who is playing for English county Kent these days, is a probable to
make the final squad as well. Arafat has been in good touch in the county
season this year which has seen him awarded with the PCB central contract
too. Arafat is a very useful all-rounder as well. There
are some new faces in the team like Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif and Sohail
Tanvir. Naved Latif, who has been the skipper of Faisalabad Wolves -- one of
the successful T20 teams in the country, is also in the preliminary squad. Although
the more experienced campaigners are likely to make the final squad, a few
news faces are bound to be enlisted in the final fifteen. But whoever makes
it to the squad in August they have to make sure that there is a lot expected
of them. And under a new coach now, more spotlight will be on the team's
performance. Though a
difficult task lies ahead, not many would feel Pakistan can't perform well in
this tournament. Pakistan surely is the most talented side present around;
one only needs to extract that talent and mould it into a striking force. A
sense of freshness with combination of experience can surely work wonders for
the team. Pakistan
haven't played too many T20s in their cricketing history which might play a
negative role against them in their World Cup campaign. But they won't face
any problems in adjusting to local conditions in South Africa as they just
toured the host country last year. The
writer is a staff member at 'The News' Karachi shehnu@gmail.com Tough job awaits Geoff Lawson in Pakistan It'll be interesting to see where ex-skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq figures in the new coach's plans By Imran Farooqi Pakistan's
search for a coach has at last come to an end with the induction of Geoff
Lawson. But there is an interesting debate going on right now in the media
over whether we need a foreign or local coach. There
are many who favour the former Aussie fast bowler for this all-important
task. But there is an equally strong group of people who think Lawson's
compatriot Dav Whatmore, who has more than a decade's experience of
international coaching in the sub-continent, could have been a better bet.
Then there are those disgruntled figures and former players who totally
reject the very idea of having a foreign coach. And they
believe the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is just wasting its financial
resources on foreign coaches who could not deliver the goods in past and
aren't likely to do so in Richard
Pybus was the first foreign coach hired by Pakistan. In his three stints of
various lengths with the national team he could not produce extraordinary
results nor could lift the team's long-term standing. Under Bob Woolmer
Pakistan did produce some good results off and on, but there was not any
consistency in the team's overall performance and no extraordinary feat was
achieved during his tenure which was quite long keeping in view the PCB's
'fondness' of removing captains and coaches at will with astonishing
regularity. But it's
also a fact that since 1999 ñ- the year when the team reached the World Cup
final in England and almost got the better of India in the Test series that
was played earlier in their own backyard ñ- Pakistan's performance has not
shown a great deal of improvement, specially against better teams, regardless
of who the coach was. Be it
Javed Miandad ñ- who never spares an opportunity to lash out at the PCB for
looking beyond the country's boundaries to fill the vacancy ñ- Mushtaq
Muhammad, Wasim Raja or Mudassar Nazar, none of them impressed for different
reasons which, on some occasions, were even beyond their control. Without
doubt one of the main causes of their failures was their apparent differences
with players and selectors. They all got the job, but were removed in not so
pleasant a manner. Those
who want to see a local hero coaching the national side might claim that
Pakistan realised their only World Cup victory under a local coach, i.e.
Intikhab Alam. But those who were close to that team knew pretty well that
more than anybody else it was captain Imran Khan, his deputy Miandad, and
Wasim Akram, who made the win possible through some outstanding courage and
impeccable execution of plans. Intikhab was there to oversee things, but the
architects of that remarkable achievement were those three. Some
people have pointed out that since batting is Pakistan's weakest area a
batsman could have been more helpful as coach. But this argument holds little
weight as a coach's main responsibility is to prepare game-plans keeping in
view his players and his opponents' strengths and weaknesses. He is not there
to tell his charges how to bat, how to bowl, and how to spin and swing a
ball. Once a
player is good enough to be picked for the national side he does not need any
coaching anyway. He may experience a slump in his form here and there, but
that is temporary and for that he has many current and former players around
to fall back to for an opinion. One does not need to approach a professional
coach to sort his problem out. In our
part of the world a coach has a very limited and different role as captains
draw all the attention. After all it's they who run the show and are,
therefore, more powerful and influential. A captain's role is more defined
and decisive as compared to the job of coach who mainly helps players with
their practice routines and usually takes a back seat when discussions are
held to formulate strategies prior to games. And more
often than not his tenure ends prematurely as when the team fails it's the
captain and the coach who must go first. A coach's job is very attractive
indeed in Pakistan, but could be equally insecure. A loss or two may cut
short his term drastically. So the
question is: do we really need a coach, and, if yes, what sort of role he
should play? Or do we just need a person who could share the captain's
burden? Teams outside Asia follow their coaches' advice religiously and
wholeheartedly and never show any dissent publicly. This makes their coaches'
jobs easy. Here we
have an entirely different culture where every player is a star in his own
right and may do as he likes no matter what the coach wants him to do and
how. This tendency leads to differences between the players and the coach,
which ultimately hurts the team and individual's performances. This trend
needs to be done away with at once. A cordial working relationship among team
members, captain, and coach is necessary for creating the right kind of
spirit that is a must for long-lasting success. It's a
welcome sign that Pakistan's senior players have already voiced their liking
and support for Lawson. But the former pacer will have to work hard and use
all his experience and resources to understand Pakistanís culture and the
players' mental and physical potential and requirements. The sooner he does
it the better. It'll be
interesting to see where ex-skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq figures in the new coach's
plans. By
choosing Lawson and ignoring his compatriot, Whatmore, the PCB has acceded to
the players' demand. Most of the squad members, including skipper Shoaib
Malik and Shoaib Akhtar, have expressed their delight over Lawson's
appointment. The PCB has done its bit, and now it is the players' duty to
work closely and sincerely with the new coach and take Pakistan where they
deserve to be. Muttiah Muralitharan: 700 and up He won accolades from former Australian captain, Steve Waugh, who said he was 'the Don Bradman of bowling'. Waugh went on to say that he felt Muralitharan's action was perfectly legal By M Shoaib Ahmed Averaging
nearly six wickets per Test, Muttiah Muralitharan is one of the most
successful bowlers in the game, the greatest player in Sri Lanka's history,
and without doubt the most controversial cricketer of the modern age. Muralitharan's
rise from humble beginnings, being the Tamil son of a hill-country
confectioner, to the top of the wicket-takers' list in Test cricket has
divided the cricket world in the past decade because of his weird bent-arm
bowling action. He bowls
marathon spells, yet is forever on the attack. From a loose-limbed, open-chested
action, his chief weapons are the big-spinning off-break and two versions of
the top-spinner, one of which goes straight on and the other, which has now
been labelled his doosra, which spins in the opposite direction to his stock
ball. His
newest variation is a version of Shane Warne's slider, which is flicked out
the side of his hand and rushes onto batsmen like a flipper. His
super-flexible wrist makes him especially potent and guarantees him turn on
any surface. His
career has been beset with controversy from the start. Suspicions about his
action were whispered soon after his debut against the Australians in 1993
and then aired freely after he was called for throwing while touring
Australia in 1995-96, first in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne by Darrell
Hair and later in the one-day series that followed. He was
cleared by the ICC after biomechanical analysis at the University of Western
Australia and at the University of Hong Kong in 1996. They concluded that his
action created the 'optical illusion of throwing'. But the
controversy did not die away. He was called again on the 1998-99 tour to
Australia, this time by Ross Emerson. Muralitharan was sent for further tests
in Perth and England and was cleared again. However, the perfection of his
doosra prompted further suspicion and at the end of a prolific three-match
home series against Australia in March 2004 he was reported by ICC match
referee Chris Broad. More
high-tech tests followed, and ultimately forced the ICC to seriously look
into the entire issue of throwing in international cricket, which revealed
that many bowlers bend their arms during delivery, and that Murali might have
been made an unfair victim. On the field, Murali continued to pile on the
wickets. It is
unlikely that Muralitharan's career will ever be controversy-free, a fact
that he now accepts. But the rapid progress of technology and sports science
in the past decade has undoubtedly salvaged his reputation. Many previous
high-profile doubters are now admitting that Muralitharan has been unjustly
persecuted for having an abnormal action. Having
recovered from the shoulder surgery kept him out of the game for the last
part of 2004; Murali is ready to add to his already imposing tally. Muttiah
Muralitharan, born on April 17, 1972 in Kandy, is often referred to simply as
Murali. He is generally recognised as the greatest Sri Lankan player and the
greatest off-spinner in cricket history. Since his international debut in
1992 he has enjoyed more success than any other spinner except Shane Warne
and has become one of the most acclaimed cricketers of the modern age. Statistically,
there is no doubt that he is one of the most effective bowlers ever to play
cricket in both international forms of the game (Test and One-day
Internationals), having taken 700 Test wickets and over 400 ODI wickets.
Currently his Test average is just 21.3, which compares favourably to other
contemporary spin bowlers: Shane Warne's bowling average is 25.4, Anil
Kumble's 28.5 and fellow off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's 29.8. In 2002,
Wisden named him the greatest bowler of all time. In May 2004, in Zimbabwe,
he overtook West Indian Courtney Walsh's record of 519 Test match wickets to
become the highest-wicket taker of all time. Warne, an Australian
leg-spinner; indeed he overtook Muralitharan's number of wickets in late
2004. Warne believes that the younger Muralitharan will eventually be the one
to finish with the record, saying he believes that Muralitharan will take
'1000 wickets' (in truth an unlikely achievement) before he retires. Muralitharan's
unorthodox bowling action begins with a unique 'flapping wings' run-up,
complete with bulging eyes, and culminates with an extremely wristy delivery
which, he claims, often had him mistaken for a leg-spinner early in his
career. He generates a prodigious amount of turn, in addition to the
flighting of the ball that is very hard for a batsman to play at. Aside
from his off-break, he also a bowls a fast top spinner which goes straight
on, and his own interpretation of Saqlain Mushtaq's controversial doosra
delivery, which turns from leg to off. Murali
became politically active in 2004, becoming an ambassador for the United
Nations World Food Program, and joining an anti-poverty campaign. He said he
was 'lucky to be alive' after narrowly missing the 2004 Indian Ocean
Earthquake by just 20 minutes. One week later, he was reported to be helping
distribute food to victims of the tsunami. He is
one of two Tamils in the Sri Lankan cricket team (the other being Russel
Arnold). There has long been ethnic tension in Sri Lanka between the minority
Tamil and the majority Sinhalese communities, and some members of the Tamil
community feel that Muralitharan should not play for the Sri Lankan national
team. Muralitharan
took his 500th Test wicket in the second Test against Australia in Kandy on
March 16, 2004. At the end of the series his doosra delivery was officially
called into question by match referee Chris Broad and Muralitharan was
entered into a two-stage remedial process for bowlers with suspect actions
under the supervision of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The
delivery was examined by biomechanical experts who found it to exceed the
current tolerance limit, regarding the degree of bend in the arm, of five
degrees for slow bowlers. Australian prime minister John Howard weighed in,
controversially labelling Murali a 'chucker'. Despite this he won accolades
from former Australian captain, Steve Waugh, who said he was 'the Don Bradman
of bowling'. Waugh went on to say that he felt Muralitharan's action was
perfectly legal. Shane
Warne may have set the benchmark but Muttiah Muralitharan appears set to
raise it to an even higher level after reaching 700 Test wickets against
Bangladesh. The
former Australia leg-spinner claimed all the recognition by being first to
the landmark but he may well find his record of 708 claimed before his
retirement after last winter's Ashes series is soon overtaken. In any
other era, the achievement of becoming the first bowler in history to reach
the magic 700 might have been enough to be able to request a fitting for the
crown of greatest spinner of all time. But
Warne's status has been under challenge for a long time the definitive answer
to who is the finest slow bowler of the modern era is difficult. Because
for every mesmerising performance from the Australian icon, there is an
equally compelling display from Sri Lanka's own cricketing legend. From the
moment Warne bowled former England captain Mike Gatting with his famous 'ball
of the century' the cricketing world was firmly, and unbreakably, in the
Victorian's thrall. The year
was 1993 and at that stage the notion a Sri Lankan bowler may one day
challenge Warne for his unofficial title would have been considered highly
unlikely; it is a testament to the achievements of Muralitharan that he is
now doing just that. Their
standing in the game is such that Warne and Murali are the only two players
in history to have claimed 700 or more Test wickets and more than 1,000
international victims in all. Although
Murali is well clear in all forms of the short game, on the Test front there
has been a largely unspoken race between the two to finish with the most
career wickets and set a record many believe will never be broken. Since
Warne's retirement his total has been gradually whittled away by his rival.
At 35, Murali is around two-and-a-half years younger than Warne -- meaning
that he should easily outstrip the leg-spinner in the long run. Naturally
comparing the towering achievements of two such giants can be a unenviable
task and the conclusion, undoubtedly, is that each player has had a profound
effect on cricket as we now know it. In
Warne's favour is that, aside from his own personal tally, he contributed
regularly and heavily to the successes of one of the finest cricket sides
ever produced. Although
led by distinguished, era-defining captains like Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and
Ricky Ponting, the Baggy Green generation that will go down in legend
alongside the once dominant West Indies of the 1970s and 1980s was as much
Warne's Australia as anybody's. World
Cups, an almost endless run of victorious Ashes series and a near monopoly of
first place in the world rankings all went to the Antipodeans in the course
of Warne's career and success is the barometer by which one can reasonably
judge sportsmen. Murali
has now claimed five wickets in an innings on 60 occasions and in addition he
has recorded a 10-wicket match on 20 occasions, including a staggering
sequence of four such matches in succession (against India, Bangladesh and
twice against the West Indies in 2001-02). He has
also had to conquer accusations that he is a 'chucker' because of his
unorthodox delivery produced by a quirk of his physique. Despite
having undergone biomechanical scrutiny on numerous occasions there are still
those who dispute his legitimacy, but one thing not in question is his
ability to bamboozle even the world's best batsmen.
Arif
Butt: There
are players and there were those who unselfishly tried to bring honours to
Pakistan. To their dismay, due to the inopportune moments they were lost to
despair. Arif Butt was a magnificent cricketer. Tall, even-shouldered, with a
broad nose, talking mostly in Punjabi and belonging to a Kashmiri family,
Arif took up cricket like most boys living in the streets of Lahore. He was
less gifted than his brother Saeed Butt but more committed and hard-working. One of
the two brothers to play first class cricket and nephew of famous Lahore and
Aitchison College coach Khawaja Abdur Rab, Arif Butt was born on May 17,
1944. Arif as He
wasn't even close to Fazal Mahmood in ranking and talent -- he was Arif Butt,
a modest, conscientious and unassuming fast medium bowler; not a hard-nosed,
arrogant and the ruthless type. Butt with simple hard-work and self-training
established himself in Lahore. His father hadn't failed in transmitting
important mental and moral qualities to his children and both the brothers,
Arif and Saeed, seemed under their father's direct influence. A story
told by Rashid Kitchlew, Arif's teammate at Friends Cricket Club depicts how
unambitious and humble he was. Rashid remembers Arif bringing a flower to the
ground saying that his father had taught him how, by looking at the inside of
the blossom, the identity of the plant could be discovered. Arif,
indeed, though a man of marked individuality of character, a quick and acute
observer, with much practical sagacity, was said not to have a natural
flamboyance and talent. By 1957-58 Butt was an able club cricketer and three
years later he was ready for first-class cricket. He
battled the early jitters developing a well-controlled leg-cutter and a
scorching bouncer. Chest heaving and bowling at full throttle, swiftly he was
picked on the Lahore team in December 1960. Barely sixteen, Arif was pitted
against the Punjab University at the city's historic Bagh-e-Jinnah in one of
the early Ayub Trophy 1960-61 matches. Arif was
immediately in action. Ibrar Ahmad, Punjab University's captain won the toss
and elected to bat. Arif drew first blood, bowling a couple of short
deliveries he pitched one up and Ibrar was trapped leg before the wicket.
Murawwat Hussain, umpire on the bowling end, former first-class cricketer
didn't dispute the appeal. Punjab University slipped to 105 all out in 42.1
overs. Arif ended with 1-22 in nine overs (3 maidens). His was surely an
impressive debut, picking up three wickets for 46 runs in 18 overs in the
match. Butt
enjoyed a celebrity status at the Friends Cricket Club, the moment he was
picked on the Pakistan team for the Dacca (Dhaka) 'Test' against the
Commonwealth XI in 1963. Two years of perseverance and commitment first saw
Arif picked on the Punjab Governor's XI in a representative match against
Commonwealth XI in November 1963. At Faisalabad's Bagh-e-Jinnah, Arif batted
gustily in the first innings after his team had slipped to an ignominious
31-4. He made 21 sharing the honours with Fiza Khan 50 and Intikhab Alam 78. In
Commonwealth's first innings, Butt picked up wickets of Seymour Nurse, Basil
Butcher, Bill Alley and John Murray ending with figures of 4-78 in 28 overs.
Performance enough to earn him the country's colours. Butt was instantly
picked on the Pakistan team for the unofficial 'Test' at Dacca. He struck
early on day one picking up skipper Peter Richardson's prized wicket.
Standing close to the wicket, in spite of his limitations as a vigilant
fielder, he also took a splendid catch off Pervez Sajjad, the left-arm
spinner. Tom Graveney fell three short of a well-deserved hundred. With
1-44 in eleven overs Butt's was an impressive performance on a spinner
friendly pitch. In Commonwealth's second innings, he took the wickets of
Basil Butcher and Peter Richardson, providing timely breakthroughs but Khalid
Ibadulla 76, Graveney 55 and Seymour Nurse 126 took the game away from
Pakistan. Butt's analyses were an impressive 19-4-59-2. Arif, in
spite of coming of age at a relatively younger age never had the surety of
becoming a permanent member of the country's first XI. He looked into the
future with suspicion, though not very profound, an acquaintance with natural
phenomena was set forth; but in a still greater degree, probably, to the
boldness of the speculative views, always ingenious and sometimes fantastic
in which he indulged. Pakistan
on their tour to Australia at Melbourne in 1964-65 not only found a vigorous
champion in Arif Butt (6-89 in his first bowling performance in Tests
including the wickets of Bob Simpson, Bill Lawry, Brian Booth, Tom Veivers,
David Sincock and Graham McKenzie), but he propounded an hypothesis as to the
manner in which species like him had acquired character and it was his
workmanlike attitude that saw him bowling without a quarrel, without
restraint. Slipping
into the wilderness after two Tests against New Zealand on the same tour,
Arif was given another chance against Ceylon in 1966-67 and was then taken to
England with the Pakistan team. Regrettably, in the presence of only one
strike bowler Saleem Altaf, Butt was not picked for any of the three Tests,
his place being taken by Niaz Ahmad from East Pakistan. Back
home, Arif concentrated on his batting and relaunched a very successful
first-class career with Pakistan Railways in between playing against MCC
Under-25s, Commonwealth XI in 1967-68, against the MCC in 1968-69 and against
Sri Lanka in 1973-74. Arif
retired from first-class cricket in 1978. His maiden century came in a losing
cause against Karachi in the 1966-67 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final but his
greatest season came seven years later when, as captain, he led his side to
the Patron's Trophy and the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy titles, often opening the
batting and the bowling. He took 6-55 against Sind in the Quaid Trophy final
and ended the season with 718 runs (including a career-best 180 as opener)
and 48 wickets from 12 matches. In spite
of the high family incidence of diabetes mellitus, unlike the sportsmen of
our generation, Arif belonged to the old school of thought eating heavily and
working out. Arif wasn't a product of a culture that breeds selfishness
practiced at the Machiavellian level. He enjoyed what his parents provided.
It's a shame we haven't been able to give celebrity status to those who took
their chances but chances were taken away from them forcibly or as fated. Butt's
chief cricketing inheritance came to him from his maternal side, then, is
hardly doubtful (Abdur Rab's son played first-class cricket and Rab Sahib was
an institution). There is nothing to show that he was, to any sensible
extent, not directly influenced by his uncle's prominence. Butt's
perusal of cricket in early life produced enormous effect upon him. He
greatly admired his uncle and Rawalpindi's Munir Malik. Subsequently, he was
much disappointed -- Rab Sahib was never given the status he deserved and
Munir also fizzled out after impressive performances for Pakistan in Tests.
With his usual anxious candour Butt added "Nevertheless, it is probable
that the hearing, rather early in life, such views maintained and praised,
may have favoured my upholding them, in a different form, in my career as a
professional cricketer". Butt's
early childhood afforded no intimation that he would be, or do, anything out
of the common run. In fact, the prognostications of the cricketing
authorities into whose hands he first fell were most distinctly unfavourable;
and they counted the only boy of original genius who was known to have come
under their hands as no better than a dunce. The
history of the cricketing experiments (picked as a strike bowler, Butt was
asked to open Pakistan's innings on debut) to which he was subjected is
curious, and not without a moral of the present generation. There were six
newcomers (Naushad Ali, Mufasir-ul-Haq, Farooq Hamid, Masood-ul-Hasan, Ghulam
Abbas and Arif Butt) and five of them were failures on Pakistan's tour to
Australia and New Zealand in 1964-65. Yet it cannot be said that the
cricketers on which cricket's pedagogic powers operated were other than good.
In his
boyhood Butt was strong, well-grown and active, taking keen delight in fast
bowling and in every description of hard physical exercise which is natural
to a Lahore country-bred lad; and, in respect of things of cricket, he was
neither apathetic, nor idle, nor one-sided. He had much zeal for whatever
interested him, and he was interested in many and very diverse field sports. From
1964-65 until he toured England in 1967, Butt got through his appointed
tasks; construed without cribs, learned by rote whatever was demanded, and
concocted his bowling in approved schoolboy fashion. And the result, as it
appeared to his mature judgement, was simply negative. Butt's
14 wickets came in three Tests (all played during his maiden tours to
Australia and New Zealand in 1964-65) and despite deserving to represent
Pakistan in succession, at least for a period of five years, he was not
picked on the team. He was taken to England in 1967 and despite the fact that
there was only one spearhead Saleem Altaf, on his maiden tour, Butt was
excluded from the Test line-ups. In his place, Niaz Ahmad (late) from East
Pakistan was tried. At that juncture, it looked as if Niaz benefited from the
tense political situation in the country. In the
next five years, the selectors (both biased and unbiased) could find nothing
but dull mediocrity in Arif Butt. The mind that found satisfaction in playing
cricket, but very little in mere survival; that could appreciate
international requirements but had no particular aptitude for making it to
the top. Butt's attitude from 1968 until 1972-73 was strictly laid back,
pedagogue to be no desire to excel. As a
matter of fact, the treatment meted out to Arif during the early part of his
international career coerced him into apathy towards power and the powerful.
His honour, his uprightness and humility left him ignorant of almost all the
things which it would have been well for him to know, and untrained in all
the things it would have been useful for him to be able to do, in
international cricket. In three
Tests Arif picked up 14 wickets at 20.57. In 97 first-class matches he scored
4,017 runs at 29.10 with four hundreds and 22 half-centuries. He delivered
11,877 balls, taking 201 wickets at 26.74 with a best of 8-45. Ten times he
returned 5wI and twice achieved 10WM hauls. "Every
time I think I'm famous," Virgil Thomson said, "I have only to go
out into the world." So it is, and so ought it probably to remain for
cricketers who prefer to consider themselves serious. The comedian Richard
Pryor once said that he would deem himself famous when people recognised him,
as they recognised Bob Hope and Muhammad Ali, by his caption less caricature.
That is
certainly one clear criterion for celebrity. But the best criterion I've yet
come across holds that you are celebrated, indeed famous, only when a crazy
person imagines he is you. It's especially pleasing that the penetrating and
prolific author of this remark happens to go by the name of Anonymous -- Butt
was not an anonymous -- his was a true cricketing identity. He died in
absolute silence.
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decade and a half in the service of Pakistan, he should have received a
thundering finale, a hero's send-off worthy of his accomplishments, but then
who cares for national heroes in our part of the world.
Australian tour later in the year. But on his home ground he successfully
achieved the target on the last ball of the Test series.
future as well. They are just interested in making money and the interests of
Pakistan cricket do not figure prominently on their priority list, they
reckon.
he grew up didn't create ripples in club cricket or rediscovered Alfred Shaw
or Frank Spofforth's art. 