Murali posing in Sydney last week

Muttiah Muralitharan played his last competitive match in Sydney on Friday. Just prior to the match Peter Roebuck talked to the great spinner about his upbringing in Sri Lanka, the pain of being called for chucking and his long-standing rivalry with Shane Warne.
Peter Roebuck: Murali, this is your last trip to Australia, your last match in Sydney. You looked like you enjoyed your last match in Melbourne! Take me through your leg glance.
Muttiah Muralitharan: Oh, it was a fabulous occasion. The ball just came along and I flicked it and then we were all happy. [The] coach said he had already written his losing speech!
PR: Let’s talk about your background. Tell me about your ancestors.
MM: They come from India. I still have [the] right to live there. My grandfather came to Sri Lanka to work on a tea plantation. Afterwards he went back but my father and his brothers stayed and they built a biscuit factory in Kandy in the 1950s. All sorts of biscuits. Still we have that.
PR: Growing up as a Tamil in Sri Lanka wasn’t easy in your early days?
MM: There were riots but after 1983, it became normal. Remember I was staying at hostel in school for seven years and living with many Sinhalese and Tamils in the same dormitories so it was not that difficult.
PR: But in the early days a lot of harm was done to the Tamils. Do you have any memories of that?
MM: Our factory and our house were burnt down in 1977 and that was painful for a time. We were saved by Sinhalese. They came and stopped the crazy people before they killed us. We never forgot that. We rebuilt them and moved on. That was our family way. We are businessmen, not politicians. My father kept things as simple as possible.
PR: You’ve never spoken up on political issues. You’ve been a unifying figure. Is that how you see yourself?
MM: Our lives in Kandy were mostly fine. I could not talk about problems I had not seen.
PR: Coming to the cricket. Up until 13 your were a medium pacer.
MM: A fast bowler!
PR: How fast was your fast bowling?
MM: I was quick enough. Then after that the coach decided to change me.
PR: Did he see you bowl spin in the nets?
MM: We had these tall boys to bowl fast. He told me I needed a bigger, broader structure. [The] team needed a spinner, he said.
PR: How has your bowling changed over the years?
MM: It has changed a lot. In the first two or three years I improved a lot and when experience came I brought in the doosra in 1999. That changed my bowling as well.
PR: In your early days, you were bowling a yard outside off stump. You made us gasp like Shane Warne. Do you think the doosra had its downside because it made you change your line?
MM: It wasn’t the doosra. You have to change with the situation. If I bowled the same thing now they kick you. So I had to bowl straighter and try to spin the ball both ways. Also I had to learn to go ‘round the wickets to get lbws.
PR: So the doosra was a creature of necessity?
MM: Yes. You need to bowl an armball or something, and I did not have one so I worked on the doosra.
PR: How did you develop it?
MM: Saqlain [Mushtaq] was already bowling it, and I saw him and spoke to him. The way he does it is different. I found my own way and practised very hard for two years, and started using it in ‘98.
PR: Of your 800 Test wickets, how many do you think you’ve taken with the doosra?
MM: Not many. About 30 or 40 maybe.
PR: Have you spun the ball less over the years. Warne did not really bowl his big leg-break in the second part of his career?
MM: Age brings the revolutions down. It happened to everyone. Then you have to use your wits a bit more. Warne had very good wits.
PR: You had a great time in Melbourne yesterday, but in 1995 it was not so good. On Boxing Day, you were called for throwing from the bowlers’ end. What was your reaction?
MM: I was shocked. Darrell Hair had umpired me so many times before. Before the match I had bowled 10 overs in Sydney in a one-day game. So I was very surprised when he said I was illegal next match.
PR: What was it like to be called in front of 55,000 people on the first day of a series?
MM: I was so upset. The team was behind me, and I was able to change ends but that’s not real cricket. He had made up his mind what he wanted to do. That should not happen to another bowler. It’s very embarrassing. A single umpire cannot decide on the career of a bowler. If you are narrow-minded then you will see it that way.
PR: Don Bradman said it was the worst umpiring decision he had seen, and that you were obviously not throwing. Not every Australian was on your case. How did you feel that night?
MM: It was terrible because I didn’t know what to do or what was going to happen to my career.
PR: Another umpire called you in the one-dayers.
MM: [Ross] Emerson. He wanted to support [Hair]. He got it totally wrong. He called me when I bowled leg-spin in Brisbane. But now the rules are better, and the suspect bowler is reported and then technology looks at it, not one man’s naked eye. It’s a better system.
PR: Alone among modern bowlers, you put your arm in a splint, went live on television and bowled all your variations. You went to England with Michael Slater and Mark Nicholas in charge, both sceptics at the time, and bowled with your arm in the splint. Both changed their minds. What made you do that?
MM: Because I always thought I was not doing anything wrong – it’s an illusion caused by my wrist and the way my joints and arm are built. To the naked eye it looks like throwing, but when you use technology it shows I don’t throw. I have gone through more tests than any other bowler since 1995, and passed them all. But I wanted to prove it. But still I was being booed in Australia, so a reporter gave me the idea, and I though it might end the talk.
PR: What material was used?
MM: Doctors said plaster of Paris can bend so we put in steel rods. They weighed two pounds (900 grams), which made it harder to bowl. But I bowled same pace.
PR: Nicholas said there was no way a bowler could straighten his arm in that splint. It’s a pity more Australians have not seen the footage. They say it’s too expensive to buy. These things seem to crop up only in Australia. Why is that?
MM: Hard to say. Maybe the two umpires [were] premeditated. Maybe someone [was] behind it. I don’t know.
PR: Although you had Chaminda Vaas, unlike Warne you never really had a strong fast bowler to work behind. So often you started against the openers. Do you think that was a disadvantage?
MM: In a way it’s a handicap. On [the] other hand, I got more bowling and more chances to take wickets. [The] disadvantage was that they could milk the other bowlers. But still we won a lot of matches. Our cricket has gone up a long way.
PR: When you and Warne emerged everyone thought there’d be a hundred imitators. Australia cannot find another leg-spinner. Sri Lanka has not found another Murali. Are you both one-offs?
MM: Bowlers like this come once every three or four generations. You won’t find another Warne. It’s hard for someone to play 20 years of Test cricket. You will get good bowlers but not that high.
PR: What were the qualities you shared, and what were the differences?
MM: We both loved bowling. If a person does not like bowling with hot sun and batsmen scoring then he won’t make it. We were always happy to bowl. Same with [Anil] Kumble. Don’t forget about him. That was our greatest quality. Warne is a bit ahead of me because he has a better knowledge than any other bowler. He showed it as a captain as well. Unfortunately, he could not captain Australia.
PR: Did you ever want to captain?
MM: No! I thought it was a burden.
PR: Have you been surprised by the return of orthodox finger spin? Once they said if you have not got a doosra or cannot spin the ball a yard, you can’t make the grade. Now finger spinners are running around all over the place.
MM: Well, if you cannot [find another] Warne or Kumble then you have to find someone who can do the job. These guys are very good bowlers but time will tell how long they are going to last. Can they go for 10 years? Once everyone’s eyes are on you it gets harder to take wickets.
PR: What do these bowlers need?
MM: Variation is important. If you don’t have that you will struggle.
PR: I have to ask about the Ashes.
MM: At the moment, Australia is a bit down because of lack of talent. You need to take 20 wickets, so you need a spinner to get two or three wickets and also one or two strike bowlers. [Mitchell] Johnson is a good bowler on song, but then he goes off form. That does not help them. [Glenn] McGrath was always tight, and he had [Jason] Gillespie and [Brett] Lee as well. So they are struggling in the bowling. The batting is not bad.
PR: Ashes prediction?
MM: It’s difficult to say. England is in high mood, but luck can change quickly. Things can go wrong in one match, and suddenly the pressure is on you. Whoever wins the first Test is going to win the series. The team that has its nose in front does well here.
PR: You have done a lot of work for the disadvantaged in Sri Lanka with [your manager] Kushil Gunasekera. Can you tell us about that?
MM: After the [2005] tsunami we did something because the infrastructure was down. We provided free medicine and nurses, empowered women and built a village with 1000 houses and facilities like cricket fields, schools. I want to build the same in the Tamil area in the north next. [The] President has given us 50 acres of land to build 300 houses and nurseries and the rest. We expect 15,000 people to benefit from this project.
PR: Your grandparents lived to 104 and 97. How do you see your life after cricket?
MM: Difficult to say. I would love to continue with charity. I might play Twenty20 cricket all over the world.
PR: Lastly, Murali, your time in Australia. Any happy memories?
MM: It’s all positive. What happened in ‘95 made me a harder person. I learnt to tackle obstacles. My view is to forget and forgive; they are human. I did not miss the 2006 tour because of the Australian public, I love the public, it’s a sporting country and does so well … It was only the leader [John Howard]. But everyone makes mistakes, and you move on
Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald

The Aravinda de Silva Cricket Foundation sponsored by Coca Cola Inc have conducted junior camps in all the districts in the country. The planned programme which is a continuous exercise has the blessings of Sri Lanka Cricket which is of utmost importance for its success. I must thank Chairman D.S. de Silva for the encouragement and support. Stan Nell and all the support staff have done yeoman service. But, most importantly the lads have shown great discipline and promise. It’s the bonding of teams and the spirit of playing together that has encouraged us immensely.

There have been many players who have been identified to make the grade and they will soon be part of the junior sides or A sides that would be touring. I do not want to single out players but they would speak for themselves later on when they make the grade. Some of these lads have never seen a turf wicket up close let alone play on such a surface. They have adjusted quickly. The bowlers have enjoyed the new strip though the batters needed a little extra time to adjust. Once they have got the measure of the strip the batters have revelled playing on truer decks.
I have advocated the importance of Junior and A side tours to prepare the future Sri Lanka players. These tours are the foundations upon which the national team will depend on. Yes, we have the talent. Yes, we have the programme in place to identify and train them. Yes, the future of Sri Lanka cricket looks bright. Watch how the A side fares on this tour. There are some good players who will ring the bell to show that they have arrived.

England will bank heavily on Pieterson

The England team seemed the most balanced of those reaching the super eights. This is not to take away from the most workman-like Aussies who seem the favourites yet.
The Sri Lankan team relied heavily on the form of Mahela. That Sanath and Dilshan did not quite fire, was disappointing. T20 does have its effect on bringing out the best in one player with each game. Though Chamara Kapugedera and Angelo Mathews did get runs in the final stages, it required a burst during the first ten overs to build a safe score. That was what Mahela set up when he did get runs.
The English bowlers had worked out a clever ploy to restrict the Sri Lankans. This was very innovative and brought them success. Their quick men slowed the pace but bowled shortish bouncers which required perfect timing and positioning to score.
Very often our lads swished from positions outside the line and the timing was so awry. There was no way that our batsmen could have used the pace of the ball to work it around.
However, a score of less than 160 was not going to be enough and the England side cantered home. Morgan did not even have to break a sweat and Pieterson was strong as usual. The openers set it up beautifully.
That Murali played in the last super eight game has been debated both for and against. I believe that there was little choice but to play him to get into the semis. He was going to need rest after one game in any case.
An absorbing final is on the cards today (16). How well England will play as a team would tilt the scale. England has never won a World Cup of any sort and this would be their first real bite from so near.

But we are talking of instant cricket and there is no time for settling in. This is true for all the sides so that evens the scale somewhat. The first warm up did give our lads a taste of things to come. They did not score too badly after a disastrous start when batting. I have had faith in Chamara Kapugedera and it was good to note that he did come good in the warm up.

Getting into the final of the last World Cup does not mean that we will be favourites once again. This form of the game assures nothing to any team. Note what the Zimbabweans did in their warm up. We meet the New Zealand side first up and they too will rely largely on spin. Plenty of runs expected from this one and it’s going to be a block buster of a tourney.

Young lads watching this World Cup should do so for the entertainment value but not as a means to emulate in their early days of cricket. The fare on offer wouldnt be close to that from any coaching manual. But this form is not for the purist. It is yet a challenge and those who can innovate will sparkle. The team that does so throughout the tourney will lift the trophy. Enjoy the drama.

Lasith Malinga

The seed was sown to search for talent which I was optimistic was lying untapped out there. It was with the blessings and support of Sri Lanka Cricket that this was possible and they stepped upto the plate to encourage me. Coca Cola Int. came up with the much required sponsorship and we were on our way.

We focused on boys not yet 17 years of age or who were thereabouts as the target group.

Within five years after training and with the resultant match experience they were going to form a fair part of the cradle that would feed the national squad. That was our intention.
The Aravinda de Silva Academy conducted talent spotting camps in far off districts and pruned the pool to manageable numbers and provincial teams were selected and encouraged to play in the Sri Lanka Cricket’s Junior tourneys. Remember cricket is now played and watched in every nook and cranny of Sri Lanka but the lads from distant areas are confined to playing in their geographical areas and the much required exposure of a more sophisticated set up available in the bigger cities is out of reach. The programme we set in motion takes them through provincial cricket to district level and then to club and hopefully to national level.

We were surprised at the raw talent that was lying out there. Let me assure you readers that the future of Sri Lanka Cricket is not bereft of quality in the years to come. Whole new vistas will be opened to these lads. Recall how players like Lasith Malinga was found. Now had a player like Malinga benefitted from a programme such as this when he was 16 or 17 he would have been honed very early in his fitness and psychological outlook to perform sans injury for a long period of time. This is only one example.

Within the next five to six years the Academy targets to infuse five to six players of high quality into the national team. We aim to take the programme dubbed Provincial Champion to International Champion forward in a planned and professional manner. I am quite confident that we would even surpass our targets.

This time too the clinic will be held in Colombo probably at Nalanda or Bloomfield grounds with 72 lads from Gampaha, Hatton, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and the hinterlands of those areas. The boys would be around 17 years but under 19. There would be fitness and skills assessment. A physio would do thorough checks to ascertain that each of them would have the physical ability to last at the top level. The three day camp would allow the lads to showcase skills and the trainers to work with them to improve upon the natural talents.

The intention is to get these lads to get into the district level teams and from there to the provincial teams and keep going upwards. It has been immensely rewarding for me and my co Director of the Academy, Stan Nell the results that have been achieved. The last under 19 World Cup held in New Zealand had 11 boys who came through this programme. Three other lads from St. Joseph’s and S. Thomas’ College couldn’t make it as they had school matches during that period or they too would have made the squad. The lads bonded as a team which too contributed to their good showing at the Junior World Cup.

The programme is called Schoolboy Champion To International Champion and as stated earlier none of this could have been achieved without the unstinted support extended by Sri Lanka Cricket and of course Coca Cola.

My thoughts on the composition of the team would be discussed next week. Yet i digress. The Rolls Royce of Cricket yet remains the Tests played between nations. It’s not only because the contests are between nations but for the form of the game added to playing for one’s country. The Home and Away series’ add to the diversity of Test Cricket.

The 50 over version when it first hit the canvas was spoken of with such gusto to replace the longer form of Tests down the road. After 40 years of  the shorter 50 overs format, Tests still remain the purists’ delight. I would predict the same with the T20 style game. If it does affect any format in the short to medium term, my hunch is that it would be at the cost of the 50 overs version and not Test cricket.

I weigh carefully the merits and otherwise of all forms of cricket and its attendent fall out on the various aspects of the game. The shorter versions have helped to widen the net for players to get international exposure and reckoning. There are more players getting opportunities at the shorter form of the game. They become “specialists”, and these players are required and valued by the team. By this a wider field gets opportunities and the game is better off for it.

Tests however will remain the Rolls Royce of Cricket in the foreseeable future. And quite rightly so too. Imagine a beautifully timed drive past extra cover off an outswinging fast ball to the fence. A two step down the wicket to meet a spinning leggie and a caressed stroke through extra and mid off? Ambrosia.

The important aspect that the younger players need to understand is that though the financial rewards are more than they would get in playing in the domestic premier tournaments, it is from their performances in the domestic and other international tourneys that their bid prices are made. In order to attract high bid prices they need to perform through the season at optimum levels.

Whilst this version brings in big hits and spectacular innovation it requires great hand /eye coordination with skills to back up. Ten runs an over is what most teams target, to be safe. Remember that if a team averages six runs in a 50 over game they would score three hundred which is quite a difficult ask for a team chasing. Yet in the T 20 version 10 an over is a possible chase.

Juniors watching the T 20s should remember that those on show now are experienced players with years of practice behind them. They have honed their skills after much training and proper coaching. The younger emerging players need to get as much practice and coaching before they venture into imitating the current crop on display at the T 20 games.
Its exciting fare to watch but remember that the margin of error is also narrow for batsmen, bowlers and even the fielders. Our lads on show have yet to fire in the IPL tourney, but should come good soon.