Murali the 800 Wicket Man
On 22nd July, at Galle International Stadium, Muttiah Muraliduran took the final Indian wicket, with his final delivery in Test Cricket, to ensure a Sri Lanka victory in the 1st Test, and in the process, become the first (and probably the only) man to take 800 Test wickets.
When Pragyan Ojha was caught at slip by Mahela Jayawardene to conclude the Test, Murali achieved a record which is 92 wickets ahead of the next bowler (Shane Warne), and one which is highly unlikely to ever be surpassed. In 133 Tests, Murali was a constant threat in the 43,669 balls he bowled, and took an incredible 67 5-fers, and 22 10-fers, in a stellar Test career.
It is a truly remarkable achievement, born out of skill, determination, stamina and courage. In the process, he had to endure various kinds of slurs about the legality of his bowling action, and undergo some scientific testing to prove that the flexion in his bowling arm was within the limits set by the ICC, who are the sport’s international governing body. When controversial Australian Umpire, Darrell Hair, called Murali for ‘throwing’ and no-balled him several times during the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1995, Murali’s world could have fallen apart. However, his strength of spirit and openness (with regard to being tested by any scientific means in order to prove his innocence), won him many friends and also dis-proved those who were negative and cynical about his legality to ply his trade as a Cricketer at the highest level.
Murali’s legacy goes beyond his wickets and the influence he had in establishing Sri Lanka as a force in Test Cricket. As the only Tamil, of Indian origin, to represent Sri Lanka, he has always been a man apart, but his nature has encouraged inclusion everywhere he has gone in the world. His humanitarian heart led him to establishing his ‘Foundation for Goodness’ charity, and has enabled him to make a significant contribution to a wider world, especially in the aftermath of the Tsunami which devastated Galle in Sri Lanka several years ago. Fate has it that the great bowler’s final act in Test Cricket should be at the venue he helped to re-build after the natural disaster.
From a cricketing perspective, his bowling forced a change of the Laws of Cricket. The ICC and MCC (guardians of the Laws of Cricket) were forced to re-examine the wording of Law 24.3(definition of a fair ball) ”A ball is fairly delivered in respect of the arm if, once the bowler’s arm has reached the level of the shoulder in the delivery swing, the elbow joint is not straightened partially or completely from that point until the ball has left the hand,” and include a sentence which reads: ‘‘This definition shall not debar a bowler from flexing or rotating the wrist in the delivery swing.’’
Murali’s achievement will bring great joy to all who appreciate the diversity of cricket, and the role of spin bowling. He began his career at a time when Shane Warne and Anil Kumble were also proving that the policy of selecting four fast bowlers wasn’t the only way to bowl out an opposition team. Like Kumble, Murali was originally a medium-fast bowler who converted to spin in his teenage years and transformed his performance as a bowler. Between them, these three giants of the game transformed the future of cricket to the extent that young cricketers worldwide became inspired to emulate such heroes. Their skill and stamina set them apart from their peers, and made spin bowling trendy again after decades spent lurking in the shadows of the faster bowlers. The trio’s ability to bowl with aggression, despite their slowness of the delivery, tortured many leading batsmen. Their relentless pursuit of wickets possessed a surgeon’s knife-like precision when executing their skill against any opponent’s weaknesses, and made them a fearsome prospect to encounter.
I was fortunate during my professional playing career to have played with, and against, some great cricketers. I enjoyed the challenge of keeping wicket to two top-class leg-spinners in Mushtaq Ahmed and Anil Kumble, who both provided a different challenge in terms of the amount of spin and bounce each generated. Kumble was tall and quick in pace for a spinner while Mushtaq was short, spun his googly considerably, and deceived the batsman with a variety of flight as well as variety of delivery. It was my honour to have been able to enjoy this challenging opportunity. From a batting perspective, my experience included facing 8 out of the top 10 Test wicket-takers of all time. This included scoring runs against Shane Warne and Murali on a couple of occasions. I found Warne more challenging because of the ball spinning back into me as a left-hander. With Murali, his stock ball as an off-spinner had to pitch outside leg stump to hit the wicket as he spun the ball so much. This factor made batting easier as it was possible to ‘pad away’ balls pitching outside leg stump and not be given out LBW. Also, if any delivery was pitched a fraction short, it could be cut square on the offside because of the huge amount of spin Murali generated, thus making the life of the left-hander more palatable than the experience a right-hander had to endure, where the spin and bounce reared into the batsman’s body and brought the short-leg and close fielders into play regularly.
The history of the game will record how superb these bowlers were, but their influence goes beyond statistics. Their ability to change games, and win matches and series for their teams is what defined their greatness.
Murali was unique. His contorted bowling action and rubbery wrist enabled him to impart prodigious amounts of spin on the ball which created a whirring sound much like rotating helicopter blades. His disguise of ‘the doosra’ (the other one) made him the toughest of opponents because any batsman who has uncertainty in his mind, and is unable to know where to look to determine the way a ball spins before it pitches, is in big trouble. Playing the ball off the pitch once it has bounced and spun is easier if the pace of the ball is slow, but in Murali’s case, the pace was so quick that any earlier misjudgment made it very difficult to adjust late and execute a stroke with necessary precision required to master the ball. In short he had a hold over batsmen, even the top players. The consistency and accuracy he possessed enabled him to suffocate batsmen and eventually force them to commit batting suicide.
The current generation of Test batsmen will breathe a huge sigh of relief now that the 800 wicket man has taken his final bow in Test Cricket. He will continue his playing career in ODI’s (where he is the leading wicket-taker with 515 at present) and T20’s for Sri Lanka, and also for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It will provide cricket lovers with a final chance to witness one of the greats of the game and for young people to have advanced warning of the opportunity of being able to say in the future ”I once saw the magivian Murali bowl.”
There will never be another Murali. His bowling action was unique, his skill remarkable and whatever the provocation, his smile was permanent.
