02 APRIL 2004: MURALITHARAN MADNESS -

First up that chuck(l)ing assassin Mutthiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka's ace record-busting superstar cricketer who may be the nicest guy on earth but should not be allowed to bowl in any official form of cricket simply because his bowling style goes against the established rules of the sport of cricket. At the moment it seems that the Cricket Authorities have allowed Murali to continue to obliterate the record books in sympathy that due to his deformity of the arm he ought to be allowed to bend the rules of the game. The real villains of the piece are those sports coaches and school teachers who didn't stop Murali from bowling way back when he was a student in school. He should have been stopped and been informed politely but firmly that if he persisted to deliver the cricket ball in the manner that he did (and still does) he would not be allowed to bowl according to the rules of the game. Therefor he should either just stick to playing with the family in the lawn or at the beach or then consider taking up another sport. We are in total agreement with Mr Bishen Bedi who, like us has been groaning each time Murali chuckles his was to yet another bagful of wickets in his relentless pursuit to go down in the history books as the greatest bowler the game has ever known. Muralitharan must be the nicest guy on earth - at least he seems to come accross as a totally charming man - almost impossible to dislike. That is not the issue...the issue is that here is a man who is clearly employing a bowling action contrary to the most basic laws of the sport of cricket. That is the issue in a nutshell despite what demented people like a former Sri Lankan captain might have to say claiming racial bias as in issue. Fact is we have all just got used to watching Muralitharan's action and come to accept it as being acceptable. If Murali has a legal bowling action then I must be the Queen of England.