da bet esporte： Sri Lanka’s team management have been forced to defend the bowling action ofSri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan again after fresh doubts werecast upon his action by International Cricket Council (ICC) bowling advisorMichael Holding
CricInfo07-Mar-2002Sri Lanka’s team management have been forced to defend the bowling action ofSri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan again after fresh doubts werecast upon his action by International Cricket Council (ICC) bowling advisorMichael Holding.Holding, commenting in April’s issue of Wisden Cricket Asia Monthly, claimedto be in “110% agreement” with former Indian spin bowler Bishen Bedi, wholast month likened Muralitharan’s action to that of a javelin thrower.”The laws are very specific,” said Holding. “A bowler’s arm, once it gets toshoulder height, should stay straight until delivery.”If it’s bent, then it should remain bent to the same degree and shouldnever alter. The law says nothing about hyper-extended bent or abnormalbent.”The Sri Lankan team management are disappointed that the issue ofMuralitharan’s action has resurfaced nearly three years after being clearedby an ICC panel of bowling experts, when video evidence showed his bowlingarm to be permanently bent due to a congenital deformity.”Bedi’s remarks are really disappointing and disturbing,” Sri Lanka captainSanath Jayasuriya said. “He should not have said that after Muralitharan’saction was cleared by the International Cricket Council.”Jayasuriya believes that Muralitharan, who took 80 wickets last year in 12Test matches and reached 400 Test wickets in record time, is suffering nowbecause of his recent success.”It is an attempt to trigger disturbance for a bowler who has beenperforming excellently,” said JayasuriyaSri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore also believes Bedi’s comments to be unwarrantedbut doubts whether they will have an impact on Muralitharan.”It disappointed us no end but Muralitharan is a great fighter and a greatbowler so he would not be distracted by such remarks,” Whatmore said.New team manager Chandra Schaffter criticised Bedi for stirring controversy.”Not very many people take Bedi seriously, I think he thrives oncontroversies and that’s his style,” Schaffter said.”I don’t see any problems for Muralitharan in future as far as his bowlingaction is concerned.”