Warne’s tirade against Murali uncalled for

I’m surprised that Shane Warne has asked for a fresh scrutiny of Muttiah Muralitharan’s action. Wasn’t this a dead issue as far as international cricket is concerned? The Aussie leg-spinner has qualified this demand as a means of clearing all doubts about Murali, but I think this is a smart cover-up for a below-the-belt blow to his closest rival. In an obtuse sense, Warne is bowling a doosra at Murali.

Let’s examine his precise quote to understand the whys and wherefores of this demand. “I agree with Terry Jenner that he (Murali) should be tested under match conditions,’’ Warne wrote in his column in the Herald Sun a couple of days ago. “I’m sure he is sick of it all, but it would be well worth the exercise and hassle.”

Why should Warne rekindle doubts about Murali despite the latter having been cleared by doctors and biomechanists in Perth, Hong Kong and London three times in the past dozen years, I wonder? Were those tests spurious or inconsequential? And if they were, why was Murali subjected to them by the ICC? Does the ICC’s opinion matter, or for that matter, does the umpires’? Or is there something more invidious?

Moreover, just what Warne means by “tested under matchconditions’’ beats my understanding. Hasn’t Murali been passedby several umpires — includingthe elite panel appointed by theICC — over the past many years? If that isn’t under ‘match conditions’ then what is?

Murali has neither dodged scrutiny nor any match because of the controversy. He has played even when the problem was at its most severe. He has followed the advice of cricket and medical specialists, not shied away from playing anywhere in the world, exposed himself to any test desired by the authorities, and got his name cleared honourably.

Warne is, of course, entitled to his views, but to keep raking up the Murali ‘chucking’ issue suggests reluctance to accept that the Sri Lankan off-spinner might be as good, if not better than him. The timing of his column also is unseemly. The Sri Lankans are currently touring Australia, and Murali needs just six wickets in the second Test to take him past Warne’s record tally of 708.

There is no doubt that Murali will get the record. He looks hungry, fit and still bowls as tantalizingly as ever. But to break Warne’s record in Australia would provide him infinitely more pleasure. After all, the controversy over his action first started in the Melbourne Test in 1995-96 when he was called by umpire Darrell Hair, and then again three years later by umpire (pls insert name) in a one-day game in Adelaide.

Is that what’s bothering Warne? I am disappointed that such a great cricketer with such an expansive approach to life thought in such narrow terms. After all, all records are meant to be broken.
Murali’s will too.