Murali Is Not For Turning - Latest Spin From Sri Lanka

The Age

Thursday April 5, 2007

Chloe Saltau, St John's, Antigua

JUST when the world's batsmen thought they had a handle on Muthiah Muralidaran's controversial doosra, Sri Lanka's alluring off-spinner is perplexing them with a more subtle range of deliveries at the World Cup.

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene and coach Tom Moody have warned that Murali is as big a handful as ever because of an effort to stay ahead of the batsmen who devote so much energy to attempting to pick which way he spins the ball.

Even teammates who have been facing him in the nets for years say the 34-year-old is a more difficult proposition now that he is not turning his off-break as viciously. Like his great rival Shane Warne, who used a straighter ball to devastating effect later in his career, Muralidaran's newest variations are as confusing as ever.

"He is now trying new things in his career because he feels he needs to stay ahead of the opposition," Jayawardene said. "He is coming up with new ideas and he is trying things out with us when we are batting and asking us questions.

"I have played with him for the last 10 years and he's not satisfied with where he is. He always wants to try something new, different angles and stuff like that. So it's not a surprise to see that he is still dominating world cricket."

Jayawardene said the Sri Lankan batsmen could read Muralidaran, who went into the overnight game against England with 11 wickets in the tournament at 16.09.

"We've been playing him for so long . . .He's not turning it as much. If he wants he can turn it a lot but he feels that sometimes when he turns too much he's not getting the advantage. So he's now controlling his turn, as well, which is something new."

Australia will encounter Muralidaran and the Sri Lankans in Grenada on April 16, knowing he has changed his game since they last met in the summer of 2005-06.

"He's doing a few things differently, tactically, at this World Cup which he hasn't done a lot in one-day cricket previously, which we feel suits the conditions here and suits the format," Moody said. "Murali knows, like us all, that he has been successful, but success is a moving target and if he just stays the same, people will get familiar and start picking him."

© 2007 The Age

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