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From Twitter 03-28-2011
Mar. 29th, 2011 04:01 amTweets copied by twittinesis.com
Mar. 29th, 2011
Goodbye, goodbye
Mar. 29th, 2011 11:22 amOK, Sri Lanka are strong favourites to beat New Zealand today. But as he's half-injured (although, bafflingly, playing in this game -- surely it would have been safer to rest him for the final?), this might be the last time we see Muttiah Muralitharan in any form of international cricket.
Murali is the only man playing today who has a clear shout at being described as the greatest ever. Certainly the greatest ever offspinner; perhaps the greatest ever slow bowler of any kind.
He took his 800th wicket with his last ball in Tests: 22 times he's taken 10 in a match, and 5 in an innings an astonishing 67 times. (The next contender, Shane Warne, managed 10 and 37 times respectively.) The 16-220 he took at the Oval in 1998 -- the fifth best match analysis of all time, on his first appearance in this country -- will live vividly in the memory of anyone who saw it. He also has 532 ODI wickets -- another record, although perhaps one more likely to get eventually overtaken -- and in all international cricket, has more than double the wickets of any other cricketer playing.
What has made Murali a great bowler? His variation. We've been long used to legspinners varing their standard delivery with the topspinner and googly; Murali is the only player to have introduced a similar range of variation as an offspinner. And, because of the offspinner's more natural action, he matched it with superb control and accuracy. The game against England the other day was a classic example. The batsmen knew they needed to score more quickly, but didn't dare to take him on, because they couldn't tell what the ball was going to do, but were sure that if they missed or edged it it they would be dismissed.
And what has made him a great player? His importance to the team. When he came into the Sri Lankan ranks, in 1993, they had only won 4 matches out of the 45 played in their previous 11 years of Test experience. They really were a minnow nation, more or less on a par with Bangladesh of today. But when he's played, they've won 54 out of 132 -- well over a third. Of course, there are other terrific players in Sri Lanka now. But there weren't back in the 90s, and maybe there wouldn't be now were it not for Murali setting them on the road towards success. I think a player who, above his team-mates in ability, manages to drag them upwards and onwards, deserves especial respect. As we now, looking back, think of George Headley as the father of West Indian cricketing success; so we should view Murali after he's retired.
Murali is the only man playing today who has a clear shout at being described as the greatest ever. Certainly the greatest ever offspinner; perhaps the greatest ever slow bowler of any kind.
He took his 800th wicket with his last ball in Tests: 22 times he's taken 10 in a match, and 5 in an innings an astonishing 67 times. (The next contender, Shane Warne, managed 10 and 37 times respectively.) The 16-220 he took at the Oval in 1998 -- the fifth best match analysis of all time, on his first appearance in this country -- will live vividly in the memory of anyone who saw it. He also has 532 ODI wickets -- another record, although perhaps one more likely to get eventually overtaken -- and in all international cricket, has more than double the wickets of any other cricketer playing.
What has made Murali a great bowler? His variation. We've been long used to legspinners varing their standard delivery with the topspinner and googly; Murali is the only player to have introduced a similar range of variation as an offspinner. And, because of the offspinner's more natural action, he matched it with superb control and accuracy. The game against England the other day was a classic example. The batsmen knew they needed to score more quickly, but didn't dare to take him on, because they couldn't tell what the ball was going to do, but were sure that if they missed or edged it it they would be dismissed.
And what has made him a great player? His importance to the team. When he came into the Sri Lankan ranks, in 1993, they had only won 4 matches out of the 45 played in their previous 11 years of Test experience. They really were a minnow nation, more or less on a par with Bangladesh of today. But when he's played, they've won 54 out of 132 -- well over a third. Of course, there are other terrific players in Sri Lanka now. But there weren't back in the 90s, and maybe there wouldn't be now were it not for Murali setting them on the road towards success. I think a player who, above his team-mates in ability, manages to drag them upwards and onwards, deserves especial respect. As we now, looking back, think of George Headley as the father of West Indian cricketing success; so we should view Murali after he's retired.
Goodbye, goodbye
Mar. 29th, 2011 11:22 amOK, Sri Lanka are strong favourites to beat New Zealand today. But as he's half-injured (although, bafflingly, playing in this game -- surely it would have been safer to rest him for the final?), this might be the last time we see Muttiah Muralitharan in any form of international cricket.
Murali is the only man playing today who has a clear shout at being described as the greatest ever. Certainly the greatest ever offspinner; perhaps the greatest ever slow bowler of any kind.
He took his 800th wicket with his last ball in Tests: 22 times he's taken 10 in a match, and 5 in an innings an astonishing 67 times. (The next contender, Shane Warne, managed 10 and 37 times respectively.) The 16-220 he took at the Oval in 1998 -- the fifth best match analysis of all time, on his first appearance in this country -- will live vividly in the memory of anyone who saw it. He also has 532 ODI wickets -- another record, although perhaps one more likely to get eventually overtaken -- and in all international cricket, has more than double the wickets of any other cricketer playing.
What has made Murali a great bowler? His variation. We've been long used to legspinners varing their standard delivery with the topspinner and googly; Murali is the only player to have introduced a similar range of variation as an offspinner. And, because of the offspinner's more natural action, he matched it with superb control and accuracy. The game against England the other day was a classic example. The batsmen knew they needed to score more quickly, but didn't dare to take him on, because they couldn't tell what the ball was going to do, but were sure that if they missed or edged it it they would be dismissed.
And what has made him a great player? His importance to the team. When he came into the Sri Lankan ranks, in 1993, they had only won 4 matches out of the 45 played in their previous 11 years of Test experience. They really were a minnow nation, more or less on a par with Bangladesh of today. But when he's played, they've won 54 out of 132 -- well over a third. Of course, there are other terrific players in Sri Lanka now. But there weren't back in the 90s, and maybe there wouldn't be now were it not for Murali setting them on the road towards success. I think a player who, above his team-mates in ability, manages to drag them upwards and onwards, deserves especial respect. As we now, looking back, think of George Headley as the father of West Indian cricketing success; so we should view Murali after he's retired.
Murali is the only man playing today who has a clear shout at being described as the greatest ever. Certainly the greatest ever offspinner; perhaps the greatest ever slow bowler of any kind.
He took his 800th wicket with his last ball in Tests: 22 times he's taken 10 in a match, and 5 in an innings an astonishing 67 times. (The next contender, Shane Warne, managed 10 and 37 times respectively.) The 16-220 he took at the Oval in 1998 -- the fifth best match analysis of all time, on his first appearance in this country -- will live vividly in the memory of anyone who saw it. He also has 532 ODI wickets -- another record, although perhaps one more likely to get eventually overtaken -- and in all international cricket, has more than double the wickets of any other cricketer playing.
What has made Murali a great bowler? His variation. We've been long used to legspinners varing their standard delivery with the topspinner and googly; Murali is the only player to have introduced a similar range of variation as an offspinner. And, because of the offspinner's more natural action, he matched it with superb control and accuracy. The game against England the other day was a classic example. The batsmen knew they needed to score more quickly, but didn't dare to take him on, because they couldn't tell what the ball was going to do, but were sure that if they missed or edged it it they would be dismissed.
And what has made him a great player? His importance to the team. When he came into the Sri Lankan ranks, in 1993, they had only won 4 matches out of the 45 played in their previous 11 years of Test experience. They really were a minnow nation, more or less on a par with Bangladesh of today. But when he's played, they've won 54 out of 132 -- well over a third. Of course, there are other terrific players in Sri Lanka now. But there weren't back in the 90s, and maybe there wouldn't be now were it not for Murali setting them on the road towards success. I think a player who, above his team-mates in ability, manages to drag them upwards and onwards, deserves especial respect. As we now, looking back, think of George Headley as the father of West Indian cricketing success; so we should view Murali after he's retired.