Why pick on Murali? - Ranatunga

With Muttiah Muralitharan's action coming under the microscope again and the entire cricket world having varied views on the subject, it is hard to ignore the sentiments of the man who has backed Murali all the way from the word go, Arjuna Ranatunga.

Ranatunga, in a recent telephone interview with The Times of India, lashed out at the Sri Lankan board and accused them of handling the whole situation ineptly. He also felt that the chances of Murali touring Australia were very slim. "Frankly speaking, I don't see him going to Australia. Not after the manner in which the whole thing has been handled by our board. I don't see why he should be subjected to more humiliation. It will be perfectly understandable if Murali chooses not to go.

"Actually, the fault lies with our board. The ICC did not direct Murali to take the test. Some of our board officials, who know nothing about cricket, jumped the gun and misguided Murali to take the test. The board should stand by him, instead the officials have put the ball in Murali's court."

Ranatunga, who is currently a minister in the Sri Lankan cabinet, was also critical about Murali apparently being the only bowler whose action was scrutinised in such great detail. "If the bio mechanics test is so accurate then shouldn't all bowlers with suspect actions be subject to it?"

When asked about the whole controversy surrounding the action with which Murali delivered the doosra, Ranatunga said, "I don't think Murali has changed his action over the years. He always used to bowl the occasional legbreak, which has now been christened doosra by the media. Of course, he bowls it more often these days. And in my book, you can't chuck a legbreak."

The main problem, according to Ranatunga, was the mindset of people in Sri Lanka, which caused them to get easily impressed by the foreign sentiments. "We tend to follow it blindly," he lamented.