MURALI THE GREAT
July 24th, 2010 by | Posted in News, Sports Comments Off on MURALI THE GREAT
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Muttaiah Muralitharan bid adieu to Test Cricket after taking 800 wickets in Test Cricket on Thursday at the Galle Cricket Ground.
Murlitharan was the greatest spinner in the world of cricket. The smile, the eyes like headlights, the expectancy from every ball to do something different, he had the hallmarks of a genius.
He announced his retirement after the test match in Galle, probably he had expected to reach the coveted 800 marks in test history, which he did. If I go into his statistics they cannot be incorporated in a blog, I would have to write a book.
He had been the wrecker-in-chief for SriLanka, the spear head of the attack in all forms of the game and called Mr. Dependable. Cricketing enthusiasts feel that had he continued playing for some more time, he would have reached the 1000 wicket landmark.
Whenever a cricketer such as Muttiah Muralitharan retires, it’s always nice to read the tributes offered to him.
It is said that a man with a dream can never be denied. Murali had a dream, a determination and a keen desire to achieve and he knew how to ‘kill’. Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties, anything is possible, but to break Murli’s recored of 800 (declared) is next to impossible.
It is not only his smile and piercing eyes that are astounding about Muttiah Muralitharan, it is his statistics stand out and term him ‘outstanding’.
At a time when West Indies speedsters Marshall and company were ruling the roost, there were spinners like Muttaiah Muralitharan, Anil Kumble and Shane Warne, who were indeed, troubling the batsmen all over the world.
It was yet another spinning performance that Muralitharan spun India out of the first Test at Galle, and took the last wicket of Pragyan Ojha, to take his individual tally to 800 test wickets, Remarkable, ain’t it?
Till date we have been comparing every good batsman with Sir Donald Bradman and tomorrow onwards, we will compare every bowling feat with the excellence of Muralitharan.
It is also a matter of pride here that despite Sri Lanka fighting the ethnic war for so many years, it was Muralitharan, a Tamil who served his country with grit and determination and brought them to a platform where they gained respect all over the world.
He had been criticised for his bowling action time and again, but the Sri Lankan Cricked Board defended him to the hilt. And he was never overly disturbed, and took such matters in a stride.
And consider the burden. No one man can ever make a team, but Muralitharan’s, energy, skill and desire turned dreams into reality. He was the spearhead of Sri Lanka’s attack.
He told the media at the Galle cricket ground, “I used to bowl medium-pace as a kid, when we played softball cricket, as that was the easiest way to restrict runs. We used to play in the biscuit-factory car park, It was an advantage to bowl spin.”
He loved cricket and his farewell to Test Cricket at Galle could not have been announced in a better way. He left the stage to a perfect script – when he was at the peak of his popularity. He has shown to other cricketers, how and when to leave cricket. The world loved him for his performance and for his smile also, his team mates carried him and brought him outside the ground on their arms.
Good-bye Murali the Great.
Ravi Matah
Tags: Galle Test, Muttaiah Murllitharan, Retires from Test Cricket, Sri Lanka
