Controversy of bowling action
Muralitharan's bowling action is controversial amongst many purists, as to some it appears that it contravenes the laws of the game by straightening the arm in the course of the delivery. This is despite his action being exonerated unanimously by an international panel consisting of members from every Test playing nation. The controversy came to a head after Australian
umpire Darrell Hair called a "
no ball" for an illegal action seven times during the
Boxing Day Test match in
Melbourne, Australia, in
1995. After discussions between the
Australian Cricket Board and the
Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, Hair umpired no further games involving Sri Lanka in the season. Reaction to Hair's actions was mixed. He was widely criticised in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, but some, particularly in Australia, felt that it was long overdue. It would be simplistic to assume that opinion was divided purely by nationality though, with Australia's greatest ever cricketer, Sir
Donald Bradman, quoted as saying it was the "worst example of umpiring that [he had] witnessed, and against everything the game stands for. Clearly Murali does not throw the ball".
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Muralitharan was later no-balled for throwing by Australian umpires Ross Emerson and Tony McQuillan in a
one-day international against the
West Indies, in
Brisbane, Australia, in the same summer. Following this season, Muralitharan underwent biomechanical tests in
Hong Kong and Australia under the supervision of bowling experts, who cleared his action as legal, citing a
congenital defect in Muralitharan's arm which makes him incapable of straightening it, but giving the appearance of the arm straightening in the bowling action.
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Doubts about Muralitharan's action persisted, particularly in Australia. In
1999, he was once again called for throwing by umpire
Ross Emerson in an ODI against England, at the
Adelaide Oval in Australia. The Sri Lankan team almost abandoned the match, but after instructions from the president of the BCCSL (relayed to captain
Arjuna Ranatunga by mobile phone) the game resumed.
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.
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Bowling action of Muttiah Muralitharan
Muralitharan has subsequently been videotaped bowling while wearing an arm brace that prevents the straightening of the arm, in an attempt to clear his name once and for all. It appears unlikely that this will ever happen, as his critics maintain that only his bowling during real matches can be considered and that it's possible he changes his action when under scrutiny. Some experts who have viewed such tests have dismissed their value. Former Indian spinner
Bishan Bedi has been particularly vocal in his criticism of the testing, asking, "Why should a bowler be allowed to chuck because he has a defective arm?" and comparing Muralitharan's action with that of "javelin thrower".
There is speculation that the match referee's actions were an attempt to derail Muralitharan's attempt to become the all-time leading wicket taker. Former players like
Arjuna Ranatunga believe this to be a "white conspiracy" with some Australians and Englishmen wishing to get the name Muralitharan expunged from cricket records. Ranatunga asserted that Muralitharan was being picked on because of his skin colour. Ranatunga's actions were seen by some as an attempt to deflect inquiries over Muralitharan's action by branding those making such claims with the pejorative term "racist". It should be noted that Muralitharan has many powerful allies in Australia and England. Examples include
Mark Nicholas,
Bruce Yardley,
Andrew Flintoff, and
Steve Waugh, all of whom have supported Muralitharan publicly. It is claimed that Sir
Donald Bradman also spoke very highly of Muralitharan. Not to mention, Asian greats like
Sunil Gavaskar,
Wasim Akram,
Imran Khan and others have always stood behind him.
An extensive ICC study, the results of which were released in November 2004, was conducted to investigate the 'chucking issue'. A panel of former Test players, with the assistance of several biomechanical experts, revealed that 99% of all bowlers bent their arms when bowling. Only one player in the world (batsman
Ramnaresh Sarwan) did not transgress the rules when tested. Muralitharan's
off break and
topspinner were deemed within the rules (2 to 5 degree straightening), but the doosra was still an area of concern. The flexion measured when bowling the doosra was not excessive, however, considering the amount of flexion in the actions of many other bowlers. The results of the study has led to the ICC issuing a guideline allowing for extensions or hyperextensions of up to 15 degrees thus deeming Muralitharan's doosra to be legal.
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This scientific evidence has gone a long way to convincing some of Muralitharan's former critics that his action is legal. Two vocal critics of Murilatharan's action were former Test cricketers: West Indian
Michael Holding, a member of the ICC's Advisory Panel on Illegal Deliveries, and Australian
Dean Jones. Holding had been quoted as being in "110% agreement" with Bedi regarding Muralitharan's action and Jones had said "by my interpretation, I think he throws it". Following the ICC study, Holding, a member of the panel that conducted the ICC study proclaimed, "The scientific evidence is overwhelming... When bowlers who to the naked eye look to have pure actions are thoroughly analysed with the sophisticated technology now in place, they are likely to be shown as straightening their arm by 11 and in some cases 12 degrees. Under a strict interpretation of the law, these players are breaking the rules. The game needs to deal with this reality and make its judgment as to how it accommodates this fact."
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