Last Thursday, one of the legends in the game of Cricket bowed out of the arena, and in absolutely fantastic and flamboyant fashion. In his final test match, Muttiah Muralitharan took the final wicket of Pragyan Ojha to become the first player to reach a staggering 800 Test wickets.
Muralitharan, possibly the greatest spinner in Cricket history was carried off the ground by his Sri Lankan team-mates, as they celebrated a tremendous test victory in Galle. Muttiah started the test on 792 wickets, needing eight more to set a record that is more than likely never to be beaten. On the milestone, Muralitharan said this:
“Thanks to my wife and family for their support. To my team-mates, past and present, to the cricket board and officials and the public of Sri Lanka. Thank you for supporting me all through these 19 years.”
Muralitharan is now the greatest wicket-taker, in both the one-day internationals and Test Cricket scene. His bowling action has been questioned in the past, but has been cleared twice by the ICC (International Cricket Council).
He sits well above the great Australian spinner Shane Warne, who took 708 wickets and India’s Anil Kumble, who claimed 619 Test victims. Some may have questioned his actions, others may say 25% of his wickets came against the more inferior sides such as Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, but despite the controversy, what he did with the ball is amazing. We may never see the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan again.
No comments:
Post a Comment