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| Tuesday, 30 December 2003 |
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ICC to act? COMMENT by Dr. Elmo Rodrigopulle The topic of conversation whereever cricket fans gather is - will the International Cricket Council order a rescruitiny of the bowlers with suspect actions? This is because after the recent tour of the England team, questions have been raised on the bowling actions of James Kirtley and Muttiah Muralitheran. Kirtley and Muralitheran along with Pakistani Shoaib Akhtar and Aussie Brett Lee will always be associated with controversy and question. These bowlers have peculiar actions and the legality of their actions will always prop up when they baffle the opposing batsmen and become match winners for their countries. When the England team was here two former England skippers Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain had a go at Muralitheran's action. Both were convinced that the bowler's action was not fair by the batsmen facing him. Hussain said it verbally, while Atherton put it down in print writing for a newspaper in England. Both were expressing their views and Atherton especially was taken to task by some of the cleaners here. News reaching us has it that the ICC would rescruitinise these bowlers actions again before long. To clear these bowlers once and for all, the ICC must not get them to bowl before them, but carefully study the tapes, because that would give a true indication whether the bowlers are chucking. There would have been instances where the umpires who were officiating when these bowlers were in action noticing some kink but would not have wanted to call or report the bowlers for fear of reprisals or losing their jobs. So to bury the controversy once and for all, the ICC must move in and take whatever action is necessary and get the bowlers to remedy their actions or ban them. Former Indian captain and top class left arm leg spinner Bishen Singh Bedi reiterated what he had always thought about Muralitheran which was reported by Nick Coward in an Australian paper. Bedi seems to be very bitter with the action of Muralitheran and said what we feel was unfair criticism. The Australians especially love to hate Muralitheran. It was their umpires, Darrel Hair and Ross Emerson who called the bowler and ignited the controversy that burnt like a famous bushfire in Australia that nearly led to the bowler being outlawed. But thanks to the cricketing authorities of that time who acted swiftly and sternly, the bowler escaped and was allowed to ply his trade. One thought that the matter was buried there. But with the bowler having added a ball that goes the other way, which is a mystery ball, his action has once again come in for question and we hope moves will be made to defend the bowler. Muralitheran is not the darling of the Aussies who will be here soon for a Test and one-day series. A horde of journalists are sure to accompany the team and they will be bent on commenting on the bowlers action and upsetting him. This tour with the Aussie cricketers riding a crest of a wave of success is sure to be chockful of interest from the moment they arrive. So the Lankan cricketing think tanks must endeavour to find avenues to defend the bowler. After all isn't Muralitheran our match winning bowler? Sun cream True sun cream must be used by cricketers, especially by those coming in from colder climes. These cricketers know how and when to use it. But some of our cricketers apply the cream all over their faces, that at times they look like clowns in a circus. The question is: Do cricketers from the sub continent require sun cream? When they are on the field the next time, we hope that they will do it with a purpose and not apply it for the sake of applying it. |
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