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SYDNEY - Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan believes Stuart MacGill is "not the bowler he used to be" and Australian selectors should look to the future when choosing a test cricket spinner.
MacGill struggled with injury and form in the two test series against Sri Lanka, returning overall figures of 5-326.
While Muralitharan also had his share of problems on the un-spin friendly pitches in Brisbane and Hobart - capturing just 4-400 all up, the world's second greatest wicket taker thought MacGill was a weak-link in the Australian team.
"MacGill is struggling with injury and is 36 which is even older than me," Muralitharan told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"It might not be my department to say but I think Australia should look to the long term.
"They should look for a spinner who will be there for the next ten years, not one who will be there for the next two or three years.
"He is not the bowler he used to be.
"Some of that will be because of injury but some of it is age.
"It is not easy for him."
MacGill suggested he was a wait and see prospect.
"I'm getting old. I don't think there's any secret that I was struggling a little bit," he told News Limited newspapers.
"Just give me a day or so.
"I haven't dissected things myself yet. I haven't sat down and thought about things yet.
Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris weighed into the issue saying time may be against the legspinner.
"I have made him available to play in the Pura Cup, if he wants to, but that could actually be a limiting factor," Kountouris said.
"It will be hard to improve his fitness during games. If he was a fast bowler, he wouldn't be playing (in the Pura Cup games)."
- AAP
