Former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist believes the International Cricket Council should never have allowed Muttiah Muralitharan to play for Sri Lanka because the off-spinner's action is, he claims, "in technical breach of the rules".Gilchrist made the claim in his new autobiography 'True Colours', in which he also claimed Muralitharan had been afforded "political protection" during his record-breaking career.
In 2005 the ICC changed the laws of the game to allow bowlers "to straighten their bowling arm up to 15 degrees" - a figure that rendered Muralitharan's action legitimate. But Gilchrist blasted that decision, adding that while he said he did not begrudge Muralitharan his achievements, he believed the ICC made a mistake by not requesting the spinner remodel his action in accordance with the laws.
Gilchrist wrote: "When I heard that the rules would now allow degree of straightening - 15 degrees to be exact, a fraction more than Murali's straightening had been measured at - I thought 'That's a load of rubbish'.
"I don't think he's personally to blame: he bowled the way he bowled, and it was not up to him to do any more than he was asked.
"As much as I like Murali, my sympathies lay more with those batsmen, from every other nation, whose careers suffered because of a bowler who was in technical breach of the rules and seemed to enjoy a kind of political protection."
No comments:
Post a Comment