Broken first, made next: A Muttiah Muralitharan revolution
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While some revolutions last thirty-forty years, this revolution in Sri Lanka lasted and ruled the World for 19 long years, with a rather polarised opinion attached to him. Some might say he is a chucker, he is a cheat and a disgrace while the others consider him as cricket’s very own, ‘Bowling God.’
The other day, YouTube suggested a video as must-watch during the quarantine period. And, being the regular human being during this period, I opened the video which was - Graeme Swann vs Muttiah Muralitharan. After watching it, I was shell-shocked despite watching him bowl for the nth time, it still surprised me how he could be so accurate. And then, I dug deep, to find his ODI debut against India in Colombo. In just the first minute of the video - Muralitharan is already jumping and flexing his inner Superman. In short, that is Muttiah Muralitharan - a Superman for the Island nation. And, just like every superhero, his story too did not start all good.
In 1992, a young man made his debut for Sri Lanka in the Test match against Australia. It came against an Australian team - that consisted of the likes of Tom Moody, Mark Taylor, Dean Jones and Mark Waugh. Oh, don’t forget - the man, the legend himself- Allan Border. This is an all-star team, be it 1992 or be it 2020, this team can beat anyone.
If you read the scorecard in 2020, you would be shocked to see that he bowled as the sixth bowler. And, in 17 overs, he got a single wicket, dismissing Craig McDermott. When he walked out in the second innings, the game was fast moving away from Sri Lanka. He picked up two wickets, conceding 109 runs. In an era where pacers were dominating, it was increasingly difficult for spinners to leave a mark. The first reaction for the Australians were - “oh, he is chucking.”
Three years later, they met once again in Australia - at the home of the all-star team. Until then, Muralitharan had already left a small mark - having picked up 56 wickets in 16 Test matches. Not so ordinary, yet it brought a glimmer of hope in the Island nation of having a record under their banner. Despite the likes of Arjun Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya in the team, all eyes were towards the youngster who’s action was never-before-seen.
His action and variations left the Australian side in a spot of bother. It started growing big on the Australian team. The infamous incident was a result of all of this tension building between the two sides. One man - Darrell Hair and his decisions which turned the entire Island nation in a huddle. While they were all united before the incident, post the incident, they were ready for challenging the World for the throne.
But what was the decision? Cricket has had its fair share of controversies, none bigger than this - leaving a dark spot on either of the sides. In the early 1990s, the permissible limit for bend was 5%. And, Muralitharan was already bending it beyond the limit due to his freakish nature. Darrell Hair, who was officiating immediately called his action ‘no-ball,’ seven times in three overs. From the other end, however, the other umpire, Steve Dunne did not warn him of any. Interestingly or not, Sri Lanka’s skipper Arjuna Ranatunga was upset and he walked off the pitch. Imagine amidst all the chaos, there was a bowler, who was just in his fourth year of International cricket. Moreso, it created a huge controversy - the Australian Cricket Board did not allow Sri Lankan management to have a word with Hair in regards to the incident.
And, it was followed by the huge boos and chants by the Australian crowd, intimidating the Sri Lankan bowler more off-the-pitch and on-the-pitch. His action seemed to have created a huge uproar in the cricketing fraternity leading to the off-spinner taking a test to prove his action. In 1996, his action was cleared by the ICC after analysis at the University of Western Australia, which eventually cleared him of trouble.
Yet, the damage was done - with bad blood all around between the two sides. Leading into the 1996 World Cup in the sub-continent, Sri Lanka were enraged by the treatment towards Murali - which ultimately led to the team winning against Australia and pulling out an aggressive celebration. That opened a new chapter in World Cricket, especially to the passionate audience in the Island nation.
And, in the epicentre of all of this, there was one smiling faced assassin - Muralitharan. Even in the tensest of situations, there is an image of Murali smiling. And, if you don’t believe me, go and google, you will find a smiling image even in the nth corner. However, all of this started and kicked off, thanks to the break in the beginning. If not for the early setback, we might not have seen the Sri Lankan dominating, which has been his story.
Winning a World Cup is surely the dream of every player, right? Well, it was not the only dream for Murali who continued marching his way to the top of the bowling charts. From being the first Sri Lankan to take 100 wickets, Murali stepped up and punched up and beyond every time. Soon - from being a talent, he became folklore in Sri Lanka - once in a generation ‘talent.’ In the late part of the ’90s, he was part of the two-man pillar in International cricket. It was Shane Warne vs Muttiah Muralitharan in the ‘90s, which eventually kicked off a spin revolution.
And, then there emerged two more figures in the subcontinent, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. The rest is history in World Cricket, with the four of them setting records left-right and centre. Yet, the contest between Murali and Warne were head-on, with the number of wickets next to their columns being the competing factor. It was more like a political campaign - with Murali and Warne on the two ends of the spectrum. One off-spinner, who was capable of turning it around with his wrist and the other who was a leg-spinner. And, all of it ultimately culminated in one over - in 2010.
Muralitharan stepped to bowl for ultimately the last time in the history of Test cricket. Up ahead, batting was Pragyan Ojha, as Sri Lanka edged closer to a victory. Imagine a victory against India never mattered on that day in Galle, the entire game was built around the fact that their son was edging towards his 800th wicket. Yes, 800, the number that itself looks like a myth to modern-day bowlers. And it was a regular stock-delivery, pitching just outside off-stump and getting Ojha’s edge. There was Mahela Jayawardene in the slips, with Prasanna Jayawardene behind the stumps.
The crowd were on their feet, as Jayawardene catches it inches off the ground. A loud roar across the stadium, the atmosphere was crazy, and yet, there was Muralitharan who just put on a smiling face as he walked away from Test cricket for the last time, with 800 wickets under his name. Yet, down the lane, if you go ask Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batsman, they would say the man is still competitive - he still can get you out, that is the power of the man, himself. He still has it in him, while I continue to sit and watch his highlights on his birthday on YouTube during the self-isolation period. Yet, everything, even today looks like a mystery but remember, he was broken first, made next!
