gamenamababy
03-23-2007, 04:26 PM
Shane Warne or Muthiah Muralitharan; who is better? Perhaps this is one of the most contentious comparisons in world cricket, maybe even more intriguing than the Lara-Tendulkar comparison.
Both Warne and Muralitharan have 1000 international wickets and both of them are feared by batsmen around the world. Is the mastery of Shane Warne better or the lethal rippers of Muthiah Muralitharan?
For cricketing legend Sir Garfield Sobers, Muralitharan is a better player and according to him for batsmen, Muralitharan is a difficult bowler to face.
"I think Muralitharan is more difficult because he develops something that no other off-spinner has ever developed. And he bowls it well. Shane Warne bowls a leg break that turns big a googly that you can go to sleep and wake up and see it. He (Warne) doesn't have the same kind of difficulty like Murali in destroying a batsman. If you put two new batsmen who have never seen either of the two into bat, Muralitharan will give them more trouble than Share Warne would," argues Sobers.
But despite his achievements, Muralitharan has always remained tainted. There have been serious suspicions over his action even after the clearance by the International Cricket Council (ICC). However, Sobers rubbishes all such claims and supports Muralitharan's actions with good reasoning.
"As far as what I see, it is very difficult to be able to track a ball with off break action that turns some leg to off, very difficult, you can't chuck that. Because it comes over the top, you can't chuck. You've got to bowl it. Muralitharan's hand is never straight and that is one of the things. He starts very close to his chest.
He doesn't start like a normal bowler with arms up there where it is stretched out already. You don't chuck with your wrist, but you chuck with your elbow. And the definition of chuck, if the world has forgotten, is the straightening of elbow at the point of delivery and his (Muralitharan's) elbow does not straighten at the point of delivery," Sobers substantiates his belief that the Sri Lankan is not a chucker.
Perhaps, strong words of support for Muralitharan from someone who many believe was easily one of the greatest batsmen, ahead of ICC cricket World Cup in West Indies in March 2007.
Both Warne and Muralitharan have 1000 international wickets and both of them are feared by batsmen around the world. Is the mastery of Shane Warne better or the lethal rippers of Muthiah Muralitharan?
For cricketing legend Sir Garfield Sobers, Muralitharan is a better player and according to him for batsmen, Muralitharan is a difficult bowler to face.
"I think Muralitharan is more difficult because he develops something that no other off-spinner has ever developed. And he bowls it well. Shane Warne bowls a leg break that turns big a googly that you can go to sleep and wake up and see it. He (Warne) doesn't have the same kind of difficulty like Murali in destroying a batsman. If you put two new batsmen who have never seen either of the two into bat, Muralitharan will give them more trouble than Share Warne would," argues Sobers.
But despite his achievements, Muralitharan has always remained tainted. There have been serious suspicions over his action even after the clearance by the International Cricket Council (ICC). However, Sobers rubbishes all such claims and supports Muralitharan's actions with good reasoning.
"As far as what I see, it is very difficult to be able to track a ball with off break action that turns some leg to off, very difficult, you can't chuck that. Because it comes over the top, you can't chuck. You've got to bowl it. Muralitharan's hand is never straight and that is one of the things. He starts very close to his chest.
He doesn't start like a normal bowler with arms up there where it is stretched out already. You don't chuck with your wrist, but you chuck with your elbow. And the definition of chuck, if the world has forgotten, is the straightening of elbow at the point of delivery and his (Muralitharan's) elbow does not straighten at the point of delivery," Sobers substantiates his belief that the Sri Lankan is not a chucker.
Perhaps, strong words of support for Muralitharan from someone who many believe was easily one of the greatest batsmen, ahead of ICC cricket World Cup in West Indies in March 2007.