No one ever just retires anymore. They are always set to retire.
And Murali is set.
Sources close to him have set him, and so have the Sri Lankan website, so it can’t be long before he confirms that the Galle test against India is his last.
Murali has been slipping for a while now, in 09 he averaged 46 in test matches, which for someone as machine like as him had to be a sign.
He can still bowl, but test cricket might just be a touch too far for the 38 year old.
8 wickets are what he needs to be the first bowler to 800 wickets. If he gets there it will be an amazing last test considering his recent test form.
As for me, I never truly warmed to Murali.
I was there when he was first called.
While I appreciate his ability to bowl so many overs and the size of his eyes, no one else is allowed to bowl with that action. And that bothers me.
Most of the shit wasn’t his fault anyway, the dude just did his job, others campaigned for and against him, and he was used to change a flawed system for the better, even if it is still not perfect.
I already get the feeling that this will set off the debate on Warne Vs Murali, which will probably end up as boring as it is pointless.
Murali may not have been my favourite cricketer, but politics and elbows aside what a servant he was for Sri Lanka.
Some days it felt like he would bowl unchanged for the entire day, add to that living through the whole chucking shit, the boy had guts, so I may not love him, but I do respect him.
First shot across the Shane Warners’ bows:
Against the best players of spin, India, a comparison of Warne and Murali’s record (from Statsguru):
SK Warne 43 wickets at 47.18
M Muralitharan 97 wickets at 33.34
Even if Murali played 1.5 times matches more than Warne against India, he’s been consistently better than Warne against the best players of spin, i.e., India
Plus Murali didn’t always a have a McGrath at the other end (until at least Vaas came into his own and much much later, for one series, Ajantha Mendis)
Ignoring the number of wickets taken, this alone illustrates why Murali was just that one step better than Warne.
Plus, Warne didn’t save as many tsunami hit fishermen either.
Make that two shots across the bow.
Murali had a gift and he used it to perfection. No-one else was allowed to bowl there after like Murali because no-one else had a gift, everyone else were un-gifted. Murali had a natural talent everyone else who tried to copy him, didn’t. I liked Murali because he represent many people in Srilanka. Surviving there with being almost lone Tamil among many Singhalis is being legendary task itself. He should be inspiration for many Srilankan and he has potential to Fix every shyytt happened there in last few years. I have enough respect for him than many bowler, but as a cricket point of view. I liked Warny just because I was able to turn bowl and used to imitate him. I was shyytt. But who cares. I always have respect for people to stand still despite crap throwing at you all the time. He is among the spinners who use to bowl 20-25 overs straight in FUcking heat of subcontinent. His age had caught up, which shows clearly as Jrod mentioned. He is among the LEAST Cockiest cricketer, I always like humble sports person. Full Respect for Murali.
Great player and as you say, great eyes. Maybe John Howard had something to do with the ‘retirement’ as revenge for last week. Either that or Murali saw the embarrassment that is now Sanath Jayasuriya and thought ‘that’s not for me…’
I simply love how Murali smiles thru’ everything. Like English batting line-ups.
i hope he makes 800 wickets, even if it means 8 Indian wickets in the next test. First Warne, then Kumble, now Murali. I wonder which spinners will take up the mantle of this decade’s spinners ?
All the best Murali, am sure cricket fans across the world will miss you in Tests. ( i guess he’ll be around for One Dayers till the World Cup)
Nice article JRod.
is this a proper retirement or does murali subscribe to the yousuf school of making an exit?
I personally thought Trio of Kumble Warne and Murali had given official steroid to Spinning world. Its great to see them retiring one after another, but not together. Now it will be interesting to see if Sulie Bhajji and Swann take them over !!
To be fair though Jrod, noone else ‘can’ bowl with that action. The man is deformed. That said, not everyone has to love him like I do.
Andrew, Is it not possible that one of those kids had the same deformity, none of them were tested. So how do we know they didn’t?
Alok, The problem with your arguments is that you could easily say that Murali choked in Australia, took many wickets against Ban and Zim and bowled the highest percentage of overs of any modern bowler because no one else could get the wickets so he was going to get them if he stayed on. See how boring it all is.
As you correctly said, it is indeed pointless to go into Murali vs Warne debate. Rather, I’m happy that I saw not one but two genius of spin bowling in my lifetime when them both are in fact once in 100 years cricketers.
And I do respect him for being the humble great cricketer he is after having gone through all the crap thrown at him. The man is a genius.
He will be missed though his legacy will go on.
Even Murali is leaving. We hardly have any great players left now. Warne and Murali were talented. I like Kumble more as he took so many wickets without having natural skill as them. Where Shane and Murali spun 2-3 feet at times, Kumble never spun more than 2 inches.
I also liked Murali for his gentleness.Never saw him fight or abuse anyone. We hardly have any gentlemen left now Dravid, Sachin, Laxman, Flintoff.
I am lucky to grow in 1990s and saw so many magicians Murali, Warne, Kumble, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Srinath, Inzy, Saqlain Mushtaq & Mushtaq Ahmed (I pity both of them. They were both robbed of atleast 8 years of international cricket), Waugh brothers, Jayasurya, Ponting, Wasim, Waqar, Jonty, Pollock, Donald, McGrath, Hayden, Lara, Akhtar, Flower brothers, Gary Kirsten, Walsh, Ambrose, Fleming, Vettori, Cairns, Chanderpaul, De Silva, Ranatunga, Heath Streak,
Wow! What great heroes we as youngsters had to emulate!
now we have to do with Shreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Swann, Yuvraj, Kamran Akmal
Thank you Sire, you have entertained me from the days I remember watching cricket. Be it those pre-WC 96 days when Siddhu & co would dance down the pitch to your bowling (didn’t we all love off-spinners then!), or the golden period where the English batsmen made you and Warne household names, you have been an awesome warrior and a great entertainer! I have also read about your free-spirit nature and humanitarian works, you are the man!
Tait is better then Murli and Jrod knows it