Warne vs. Murali debate rages again in Australia

Warne vs. Murali debate rages again in Australia- Daily Mirror

By Daniel MacDonald

Muttiah Muralitharan is poised to become the world's highest Test cricket wicket-taker, but greats of the sport still refuse to acknowledge the Sri Lankan as the game's best bowler of all time.

The 35-year-old has baffled batsmen for 16 years and needs just nine wickets to surpass Australian Shane Warne's record of 708. The controversial off-spinner is likely to do so this summer, in one of two Tests against Australia.

But if former Australian skipper Mark Taylor was a selector, he said he would have no hesitation in picking Warne over Muralitharan. Retired wicketkeeper Ian Healy would do the same, as would current captain Ricky Ponting and retired fast-bowler Glenn McGrath.

All have played with Warne and against Murali. So even though the Sri Lankan will eventually take the most Test wickets of any international player, why will he live in the shadow of Australia's 'Sheik of Tweak'?

"His career lacks wickets in Australia," Healy said. "It'll be Warne then Murali. History will have it, the way I think of it, as one and two."

Murali has taken 55 wickets in 11 matches against Australia - his lowest total against any of the other nine Test-playing nations.

"He hasn't convinced me that he can take wickets against Australia, in Australia but if he does that [this summer] it'll be a great feather in his cap," Healy said.

McGrath thinks Murali's ability to spin a cricket ball is amazing, but still regards Warne as "the greatest bowler of all time".

Taylor made his selection by taking into account what Warne offered around the ground.

"It's always nice to have a leg-spinner to start with," he said. "Warney gave a bit more in terms of batting and in terms of catching. "I wouldn't call Warney a great slips fielder but he's certainly a good one - he hung on to more than he dropped.

"He gave you a lot more in the field, a lot more than Murali ever gives you." The argument will be debated until, if ever, the Test wicket-taking record is under threat of being broken again.

"[Murali] has very similar instincts to Warney in that when batsmen can't pick him he is all over them and just does not let them go," Healy said.

"Whether it's Bangladesh or Australia he nails you."

But doubters of Murali's record will, more than likely, never be silenced.

He has been branded a chucker and a shot-putter for his bent-elbowed, right-arm, off-spin bowling and critics have even labelled him a disgrace to cricket. Taylor witnessed Murali's bowling for the first time in a series in Sri Lanka under former Australian captain Alan Border in 1992.

Border was at the crease and faced what he thought were leg-breaks from the then 20-year-old.

The Australian team, Taylor said, then thought Murali was chucking the ball to Border.

"My thoughts have changed since I first saw him," Taylor admitted. "I think we sort of got to realise he is certainly different, you all sort of get round and say he's cheating and you convince yourself that that's the case.

"If you try and bowl like Murali does you're more than likely going to throw. "It's only from getting to know Murali and seeing the rigorous tests that he's been through throughout his career you can't say that Murali is an out and out thrower."

No cricket player or fan can deny Murali has had a resounding influence on the culture encompassing spin bowling. Cricket academies around the world now teach proteges of the game how to bowl off-spin from out of the front of the hand.

"Controversy has sort of followed him around for most of his career and Australia's a place he hasn't really enjoyed touring in the past but he's a freak at what he does, it's as simple as that," Ponting said.

"He'll be remembered as one of the greats of the game.

"We've just got to make sure that when he comes out here that we pay full attention and respect to him, and hopefully make sure he doesn't win any games for Sri Lanka."

Canberrans have the chance to see Murali twice at Manuka Oval this summer when Sri Lanka plays the Prime Minister's XI on January 30 and in a one-dayer against India on February 12.

Ponting said facing Murali was a hard task, but said the challenge of deferring any record celebrations was one he was looking forward to.

"We actually play him as well as anyone," the Australian skipper said. "The Indians and Pakistanis have grown up playing spin bowling and I think we've managed to play him even better than that.

"It's always a great challenge as a batsman and it's one that I'm definitely looking forward to, that's for sure."

- Canberra Times