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by Kumara Abbas

" There is no doubt in my mind he is the best spinner in the world," said Roger Harper. "Just look at his statistics. "And looking just at the statistics there is indeed little doubt that Muttiah Muralitharan is the best spinner of all time, above Gibbs and Underwood Nenaud and Laker. That means Shane Warne too. True, you diminish Warne at your peril and Murali you can quite easily dismiss as a statistical freak, unworthy of comparison with the great blond one.

Warne is great. perhaps the greatest leg-spinner in history - although Pakistan's cricketers still, insist that Addul Qadir is peerless. But Warne's pre-eminence was pronounced almost a decade ago, by the Australians and the English in particular. Particularly after that ball to Mike Getting they will not be shaken from their view. They should be. Support for Warne is far softer outside cricket's White.

Commonwealth, and the man that many hail as No. 1 is Muralitharan, the youngest of all bowlers to reach 400 Test wickets and the one to do it in the fewest Tests.

There are two common criticisms of Murali, Sri Lanka's bowling is so weak, so we are told, that Murali is the only bowler good enough to take wickets. That is not true. Murali takes wickets because he is constantly threatening, not because no one else can. His strike rate is a wicket every 60 balls while Warne's is a wicket every 63. Murali bowls about 335 balls per Test and Warne 278. One explanation of Murali's phenomenal wicket taking ratio is that he bowls more than Warne but that does not mean he is a poorer bowler who just bowls a lot. If anything, his statistical record is superior.

Warne' supporters argue that he has a much tougher job taking wickets because of Australia's remarkable strength in depth. I would argue that this makes Warne's life easier. He supports an incisive attack that has usually made inroads into the batting before he gets the ball. His colleagues build pressure instead of releasing it. And Australia's run-scoring batsmen give him more runs to play with than Murali usually enjoys.

The second doubt is about Murali's funny action. Illegal, isn't it? How else could he be such a statistical landmark? Bishan Bedi said as much in an interview in last month's WCM. But Bedi's attack, not just on Murali, but on all modern off-spinners, was a flight of folly.

To say that Murali's action is illegal is quite simply wrong. The Laws of Cricket say that the bowling arm must not be straightened; they do not say that you have to bowl with a straight arm. So, if the angle at the elbow remains unchanged as the arm turns over, the delivery is legal. That is precisely what Murali does. The deformity at his elbow joint is something called a fixed flexion deformity, which means that he cannot fully straighten his arm. Highspeed cameras from the University of Western Australia dearly proved this. Murali has not been allowed special dispensation to break the rules. He does not break any in the first place. Bedi implies that Murali would have been thrown out of the game in his day. That may be the case but it does not mean that he should be thrown out today when such disputes can be settled by technology.

Bedi, meanwhile, also criticises Murali for his open-chested style, lack of follow-through and inability to land the ball on the seam. These are petty assaults. So is Bedi's claim that modern spinners all throw the ball that turns away, which was, incidentally, a ball that Bedi never mastered himself. Old masters have a habit of trivialising the achievements of today's youth but Bedi has gone from trivial to ungracious.

All Bedi's tiast has achieved is to detract from Murali's achievements, though he is not the first. The Kandy boy's action is legal. Statistically he is the best spinner of all time. We should marvel at his talent, not belittle it. Looking beyond statistics, the question is whether you would still pick Murali ahead of Warne? Five years ago I would have said no. Now my vote goes to the confectioner's son. This summer will offer Murali a chance to show just how sweet he is.

Courtesy WISDEN Cricket Monthly April 2002 

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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