Christchurch, Aug 24 (ANI): Former New Zealand opener Mark Richardson has accused the Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan of breaching the 15 degree flexion rule.
Richardson said Muralitharan often bends his arm beyond the 15-degree norm even though he felt it was not the spinner but the indifferent International Cricket Council (ICC), which was at fault.
“There is no easy way to put this, no soft way to broach it, so here goes – Muttiah Muralitharan is throwing the ball,” Richardson wrote in Herald on Sunday.
“I know he’s been tested, re-tested, tested again and cleared. And I know, with the special makeup of his limbs to the naked eye, his action looks worse than it is. But, for goodness sake, half of cricket is now not watched with the naked eye, thanks to the invention of super-slow-motion cameras, hot-spots, snicko and hawk-eyes.
“Many of the slow-motion replays I’ve seen of Murali have only strengthened my conviction he is exceeding the 15 degrees bending and straightening allowance. Is it not meant to be the other way round? Isn’t the hi-tech equipment meant to alleviate my fears?” he asked.
Unlike former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe, who often flays Muralitharan, Richardson didn’t blame the offie, but opined ICC had failed to deal with the issue.
“I don’t blame Murali for this situation. Murali can only do what he does – and what he does he does as a champion, and unlike the other great spinner of my time, Murali does it with good grace and gentlemanly conduct,” Richardson said.
“The problem lies with the inappropriate way in which the ICC has decided to police throwing. A player is suspected of throwing and then, for want of a better term, tested in a laboratory. We’ve all seen the pictures of Murali lit up with bulbs. To his credit he volunteered for this. Apparently he proved he wasn’t a chucker.
“But did he really? What he proved is that he can bowl within limitation, not that in the heat of battle he actually does,” The Dawn quoted him, as saying.
He said that the way the ICC has gone about dealing with this situation, too many bowlers now appear to have suspect actions and can operate for too long before there is any reaction. (ANI)
Doctor’s report could save Symonds
Brisbane, Jan.28 (ANI): Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds international cricket career could be saved by his psychologist Deidre Anderson, who will report to Cricket Australia (CA) that the all-rounder is unlikely to be a disruption to the Australian team should he be selected.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Anderson, who helped swimmer Ian Thorpe reach his decision to retire, is to give CA an assessment of Symonds’s mental readiness to rejoin the team and handle the related responsibilities.
While Symonds was charged by CA under its code of conduct yesterday for calling New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum a lump of shit” during a radio program, Anderson was yesterday emphatic in her appraisal of the troubled star’s progress during counselling.
“If he gets through this and [CA] back him, I think we are going to see two to three years of outstanding performances from a good cricketer and a good man,” Anderson told the Herald.
“I think he is as ready as any other player in the team. If you dig deep enough, we all have things to work through and this is his. We all have triggers that make us do things that in retrospect we would prefer not to have done … alcohol may be a part of it but it’s a case of assessing the person you are and the person you would like to be,” she added.
“Unfortunately, this mishap has come up, there is a lot of context to it and I hope a little bit of common sense prevails. I am just really proud of how well he is going, other than this slip-up I’m really pleased with the way things have progressed,” she said.
Symonds is likely to escape with a fine tomorrow after being charged for the same offence – detrimental public comment – that led to former wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist being fined for calling Muttiah Muralitharan a chucker during a function in 2002.
That is separate to the issue of his future in the Australian team, which is very much in the balance because CA is unclear whether Symonds can successfully bury his demons to resume his place and tour with the side.
Much of CA’s opinion will be formed after speaking with Anderson. Alcohol is part of the issue Symonds is addressing.
A retired judge, Justice Gordon Lewis, must assess Symonds’s comment in isolation during a hearing in Melbourne tomorrow. While suspension remains open to him, it is believed Lewis is unlikely to impose such a sentence. The maximum fine is 5750 dollars. (ANI)