Cricket: Magic Murali

Just how badly will Sri Lanka miss Muttiah Muralitharan in the one-day series against the Black Caps? Consider this.

When Murali has played, Sri Lanka has won 18 of 27 contests against New Zealand. They have only managed a further six wins in the other 28 contests between the two teams.

The second most successful test bowler in the world has 532 scalps at an average of 22, and has reached milestones quicker than any other player.

Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu gave some indication of Murali's worth to the team on arrival to New Zealand. When asked how they would cover his loss Atapattu said: "I don't think there's anyone anywhere who can cover him".

The skipper confirmed that Murali was close to returning to the side - he will play in Sri Lanka on December 23 before declaring his availability.

You could talk stats and Murali and be here for a long time, but Murali means much more than numbers. That is half his beauty; half his problem.

Fans of cricket aren't necessarily fans of Murali, despite figures suggesting he should be on a pedestal with the greats.

When Murali looks at the reverence Shane Warne is held in, despite his peccadillos, he must wonder about the laws of natural justice. For he will argue that his only sin was to be born with a bent arm, and a freakish talent. Others are coming round to that theory, albeit after Murali has been hooked up to more machines than Frankenstein.

The ICC's 15-degree directive has seemingly legitimised his action, and several sceptics are now firmly in the Murali camp.

Former Australian opening batsman Michael Slater says he questioned whether Muralitharan chucked until a meeting in August. Slater faced Muralitharan, and to prevent flexion Muralitharan wore a brace.

Slater was reported as saying Murali bowled every ball in his repertoire, including the famous 'doosra', banned by the International Cricket Council in May.

"Muttiah Muralitharan proved to me that day, without any doubt, he does not throw," Michael Slater told Australia's Sunday Telegraph.

"I want to spread the word on this because I feel sorry for the guy. In Australia, there is an almost universal belief Muralitharan is a chucker."

Dean Jones and Michael Holding saw the footage and were won over, but others might take a little more convincing.

Former New Zealand wicketkeeper Ian Smith wrote in a book that "I've heard all about the Muralitharan defence: how he's had a deformity since birth and is therefore unable to straighten his right arm. If that's the case, then that's bad luck for Murali. But he's still breaking the laws of cricket and therefore should not be allowed to bowl."

Certainly Australian umpires Darrell Hair and Ross Emerson agreed with Smith, no-balling him on Sri Lanka's rancorous 1995-96 tour of Australia.

It seemed that nobody in Australia believed the ball could be spun that much legitimately.

But one Australian who had always believed it was Murali's former coach, Dav Whatmore. "If you study his action - and I mean closely - you'll be amazed," he once said. "His wrist rotation is unmatched in the history of the game. That action should be applauded and developed. Why do you want to stop a person performing a skill like that?"

It is a skill Murali might never have picked up were it not for the intervention of a schoolboy coach who convinced the professed rugby lover to change from a wannabe fast bowler to spin.

And spin it he does.

Craig McMillan told the Herald on Sunday earlier this year that "you just can't believe how much it spins. Basically, the only shot I played against him was the sweep shot".

Rather than umpires and Australians, Murali faces new threats to his dominance: his shoulder, and left-handers that kick him away all day.

Fleming has proven to be a master of this art, scoring runs for fun against Sri Lanka.

"What can you do?" Murali once said in response. "You just have to keep bowling. They can't keep padding away all the time, as you have to score runs as well."

But they might be happier scoring runs against whoever's bowling at the other end.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY