MISPLACED CONCERNS

I was reading a news report where it was mentioned that Shane Warne conveyed his thanks to the members of the Australian team. The leg spinner expressed his gratitude since Muralitharan was denied the opportunity to go to the top of the wicket takers list in test matches.

Was Warne really worried about Muralitharan? It is a known fact that the off spinner from Sri Lanka has never done well on Australian soil. So the concerns of Warne were really misplaced.

I believe Warne just wants to maintain relations with the Australian team.

A COUP OF SORTS!

The Australians and the Sri Lankans will fight it out for the Warne-Murali trophy starting with the first test on the 8th of this month. With this, a new trend has been set. This is the first time that a trophy bears the name of a current player.

The Sri Lankan cricket authorities have pulled off a coup of sorts. I use the term ‘coup’ deliberately. It is a well-known fact that the Aussie spectators do not like Muralitharan. A former captain of Sri Lanka Arjuna Ranatunga even advised the off spinner to give the tour to down under a miss. With the naming of the trophy, the authorities hope to take attention away from the disputed bowling action of Murali.

Is the naming of the trophy going to put all doubts over the action of Murali to rest once-and-for all? It was in Australia where Murali was first no-balled for ‘illegal’ action.