M A I N   N E W S

Murali walks into the sunset
Chandani Kirinde in Colombo

With 39-year-old spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan bowing out of international cricket at the end of the 2011 World Cup, his fans wistfully recalled the breath taking performances of the affable cricketer.

While Murali, as he is fondly referred to by his fans, would have liked to retire from the game with a win for Sri Lanka, the defeat did not take away from the elaborate send off he received on arrival in Colombo on Sunday. He, along with the rest of the members of the team were honoured at a function held at the Independence Square, a landmark monument where the country signed its declaration of independence from British rule.

Murali joined the island nation's cricket team in 1992 and ends his career spanning nearly two decades as the world's highest wicket taker in both forms, finishing with 534 wickets in One Day Internationals and over 800 wickets in Test matches.

His extraordinary talents were spotted when he was only nine by the man who was to later become his coach. Sunil Fernando spotted young Murali playing soft ball cricket on the ground of St.Anthony’s College in the central Sri Lankan town of Kandy. When Fernando asked Murali to attend coaching classes, the nine year old’s reply was “Ask my mother.” He promptly got permission and began training the next day, as is recorded in a book titled “Murlai, the Greatest Among the Great”, written by Sampath Bandara.

Muralitharan has had more than his share of controversies in his career, probably more than most cricketers have endured. It started in 1994 when he was called for an illegal bowling action by Australian umpire Darrell Hair during a match in Australia. However he was cleared of the charges after several tests were carried out on his hand after which it was determined that he suffered from a congenital defect in his arm which makes him incapable of straightening it, but gives the appearance of the arm straightening in his bowling action.

The Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said, "Every time he has played he has done wonders for us as a a team, not just on the field but in the dressing room as well. He has no ego, he is a great team man.”