Nasser and Murali

[themoose]

From Cricinfo

Nasser Hussain has been accused of verbally abusing Muttiah Muralitharan during the morning session at Kandy. The Sri Lanka team management filed an official complaint to Clive Lloyd, the match referee, during the afternoon. Lloyd is expected to make a statement later today.

The incident happened as Muralitharan walked out to bat in Sri Lanka's first innings. Sources close to the Sri Lankan team claim that Hussain swore at Muralitharan and called him "a ******* cheat and a ******* chucker".

I now have some new found respect for Nasser

 

[marcuz]

It is a disgrace that he will one day be the greatest wicket taker the game has seen. This is nothing personal against the guy as he seems a nice bloke but he would be more at home in baseball with that action.

 

[EagleBlue]

Originally posted by themoose
Sources close to the Sri Lankan team claim that Hussain swore at Muralitharan and called him "a ******* cheat and a ******* chucker".

D

Geez, youre not even allowed to tell the truth anymore, Shame on you Nasser

 

[ZimZum]

Can't believe it has taken an international cricketer so long to have a real go at him. I always thought it would have been Hayden or Ponting. Good on ya Nasser.

 

[DaveW]

England players are calling Murali a chucker?

That can only mean one thing. He's been taking wickets this series.

 

[EagleBlue]

I will be very interested to see where this leads. 2 Australian umpires and 1 cricketer were condemned worldwide (1 of the umpires immediately sacked) for their honest assessment of him. Now an England cricketer and former captain. Wouldnt be at all suprised if this was Nassers last test match.

 

[Dipper]

There's been an interesting point raised in this series reagarding Murali's action.

He's now developed an extremely potent delivery that goes the other way, normally I'm dubious when they go on about off spinners & their 'mystery' balls but this one goes a helluva long way & is apparently very hard to pick, he really worked on it after England won the series there last time because our left handers played him pretty well, they either padded up or left the ball & he was frustrated, now they're bricking themselves worrying about the LBW.
Anyway Derek Pringle writing in the Daily Telegraph said something along the lines of-'The slow motion replay of Murali bowling his leg spinner seems to show his arm being straight which is one in the eye for the University of Western Australia who decreed that he was unable to fully straighten his arm'.

A reporter in another paper went into detail explaining the new chucking laws & how bowlers are now 'allowed' a certain amount of straightening of the arm (5 degrees for spinners) & that certain other points have been written in reagarding rotation of the wrist ect that can only apply to Murali, he then went on to say that the ICB have bent over backwards to accomodate Murali but that this new delivery appears to involve much more straightening of the arm than his off spinner & that the ICC should really be duty bound to analyse it, but he said that he's pretty sure that they won't.


Personally I've always thought that he's a chucker whatever the 'experts' have said but it seems that he's now pushing things even furthur with his leg break delivery.

I 'd like to see the cricketers themseleves make a stand(for fairness & decency) against the ICC & refuse to play against him, if this leads to a split in world cricket then so be it, the Asian countries will back down in the end, India & Paksitan dont' even play one another, so what are they going to do, settle for series against Sri Lanka & Bangladesh for ever?


As marcuz says it's a disgrace that he'll be the greatest wicket taker of all time.

 

[EagleBlue]

Originally posted by DIPPER
I 'd like to see the cricketers themseleves make a stand(for fairness & decency) against the ICC & refuse to play against him, if this leads to a split in world cricket then so be it, the Asian countries will back down in the end, India & Paksitan dont' even play one another, so what are they going to do, settle for series against Sri Lanka & Bangladesh for ever?

Wont happen. There always has been one rule for the Asian countries and one rule for the rest. Arjuna Ranatunga and Sunil Gavaskar were living proof of that.

 

[Becker]

The whole cricket world knows Murali is a chucker, but political correctness will ensure that he becomes the highest wicket-taker in Test Cricket history.
When that happens I will pick up all my books containing cricket records and throw them in the bin because they won't be worth a toss.
I refuse to watch Murali "bowl". As a cricket purist, it offends me.

 

[utility]

Is he in hot water for calling him a ****en chucker because he said ****? Or because he called him a chucker? What a load of sh1t.

If I was facing Murali I'd yell out 'No Ball' on every delivery... see how he maintains his line and length.


Footnote: Three umpires have called him in internationals, not two. The rules have been modified since to accomodate Murali.

 

[marcuz]

What really sh1ts me is the people that say he chucks instantly get labelled as racist. If he was white and playing for england i would be saying the exact same thing about that action. He should have been pulled up years ago before he ever made it in international cricket.

 

[Mickey]

I think the officials are probably scared that Sri Lanka will pull the pin on playing cricket, hoping then that other Asian nations will follow if "the chucker" is thrown out of cricket. He is a chucker to me and always will be.

 

[Zeke]

I agree wholeheartedly with the general vibe here.

Murali is and always has been a chucker - his action hasn't changed since he was no-balled, but seemingly the rules have.

It pains me that he will take the record, which it seems, is a forgone conclusion. The really ridiculous thing is that he is obviously a talented bowler who would most likely have carved out a respectable career if his technique had been corrected early on - it is too late now. Can't really blame him personally, he just goes out and bowls the way he always has, and hopes that the sugerdaddy ICC will keep all the nasty critics away.

If you were Murali, and knew full well you were a chucker, would you quit cricket for the sake of the game or keep playing as long as you were allowed?

Interesting.

 

[ViperV10]

I have pretty much always thought he was a chucker....but the problem is that if you say it you are labelled a racist, or called a sore loser because he has taken your wicket.

I was listening to ABC radio and they were discussing how your arm has to be certain degrees etc. It was really interesting to listen...one of them said it was stupid, and that the umpires need protractors out on the pitch now

Another thing they said which was interesting was that if your arm is straight once it passes the horizontal in your delivery action, it needs to stay straight, but if it is bent it needs to stay bent. I have never looked at Murali's action in this respect and will be interested to see how it is next time I see him play.

I also think it looks like Shoiab Akhtar chucks it, but lets leave that alone.

 

[wang]

As much as I believe he does chuck the ball, he is good for Sri Lankan and world cricket. Without him Sri Lanka would have a very ordinary side that would struggle to compete against most sides in most conditions. His ability to spin to ball at right angles provides batsmen with a new challenge therefore creating an interesting battle, which in the long term means money through the gates. The ICC knows this and that is why they have changed the rules to accommodate him.

It has been mentioned before that there is a refusal to watch him bowl. Once again ill state I believe he throws, but he is different and good to watch as he provides a challenge to batsmen, especially Australian batsmen. Most of the Australian bats last summer struggled to pick him which provided a great contest between batsmen and bowler which as been sorely missed in this country for some time.

I’m looking forward to seeing him bowl in Australia in a few months time under test conditions. Should conditions be helpful for him (unlikely as the pitches will be green to negate him) we could be saying what an upset in Cairns and Darwin.

 

[wang]

Nasser Hussain has been cleared of verbally abusing Muttiah Muralitharan, after an incident on the second day's play at Kandy. But Clive Lloyd, the ICC match referee, has cautioned England and Sri Lanka's cricketers, and warned that he will deal "very harshly" with any further transgressions.

Hussain, who had been fielding close to the wicket as Muralitharan came out to bat at the end of Sri Lanka's innings, was alleged to have sworn at Murali, who immediately lodged a complaint with umpire Aleem Dar. When the Sri Lankan management reported the incident, both players were called before the match referee at the close of play, along with England's coach Duncan Fletcher and the non-striker, Dinusha Fernando.

After studying video evidence of the incident, Lloyd admitted that something was clearly said, but there was no evidence to back up Murali's claims. But Lloyd, who had spoken to James Kirtley at the close of the first day's play, and to both sets of captains at the start of the second, was clearly frustrated at the attitudes of the teams.

"I am very disappointed at the behaviour of the players," said Lloyd. "As of tomorrow, anyone contravening the code of conduct will be dealt with very harshly indeed. These are professional players, they must show professional integrity. And as an ex-captain, I would have expected Hussain to show the right sort of guidance. At the moment I have had to exonerate him of the charge."


Murali's innings came to a bizarre conclusion, when he was bowled by Ashley Giles without either umpire noticing what had happened. Giles, who finished with five wickets, attempted to defuse the situation at the close of play. "Anything that's said out there is just meant to upset people which it probably has," he said. "It's important both teams keep their cool and we've been told about that but it's difficult. We are in high pressure situations out there, and it's hot and at times you may say something you regret."


It is not the first time that the Kandy Test has spilled over in such a way. Two years ago, the corresponding fixture descended into anarchy, and Lloyd is keen to prevent this match going the same way.

© Wisden Cricinfo Ltd
==============================================

Murali seems to be a bit of a softc*ck. Hes gone crying to the umpire, you would think an international player would have more balls than that. Wasnt it said that he would never return to Australia after the summer just gone as the crowd gave him a hard time. I spose he is used to getting his own way.

 

[Fall Out Boy]

Wonder if the Sri Lankans will call their mummies next time someone dares to verbal one of their players.

Soft.

 

[Minkus_Swan]

Sri Lanka's last 2 series against both South Africa and England have been extremely aggressive.
Watching the South Africa series I was surprised at the verbal abuse both teams gave each other, which was very entertaining. It will be interesting to see whether Australia's series against Lanka will be the same. There's lots of bad blood - BRING IT ON!!!

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by ViperV10
I have pretty much always thought he was a chucker....but the problem is that if you say it you are labelled a racist, or called a sore loser because he has taken your wicket.

In England's case that's not far off the mark.

Hussain's comments come after Murali took 11 wickets in the first Test.

David Lloyd's comments in 1998 followed Murali taking 16 wickets in a Test against the Poms.

I agree that Murali is a chucker, but the comments that have come from England smack of sour grapes.

 

[dr nick]

Originally posted by themoose
From Cricinfo

Nasser Hussain has been accused of verbally abusing Muttiah Muralitharan during the morning session at Kandy. The Sri Lanka team management filed an official complaint to Clive Lloyd, the match referee, during the afternoon. Lloyd is expected to make a statement later today.

The incident happened as Muralitharan walked out to bat in Sri Lanka's first innings. Sources close to the Sri Lankan team claim that Hussain swore at Muralitharan and called him "a ******* cheat and a ******* chucker".

I now have some new found respect for Nasser

thank god he didnt mention his skin colour

 

[dr nick]

Originally posted by utility
Is he in hot water for calling him a ****en chucker because he said ****? Or because he called him a chucker? What a load of sh1t.

very true. i was about to raise this point. I havent seen him bowl his mystery ball that dipper eludes to, but sounds like he's worked out for himself nobody will ever stand up and question his action publicly.

 

[dr nick]

Originally posted by wang
As much as I believe he does chuck the ball, he is good for Sri Lankan and world cricket. Without him Sri Lanka would have a very ordinary side that would struggle to compete against most sides in most conditions. His ability to spin to ball at right angles provides batsmen with a new challenge therefore creating an interesting battle, which in the long term means money through the gates. The ICC knows this and that is why they have changed the rules to accommodate him.

It has been mentioned before that there is a refusal to watch him bowl. Once again ill state I believe he throws, but he is different and good to watch as he provides a challenge to batsmen, especially Australian batsmen. Most of the Australian bats last summer struggled to pick him which provided a great contest between batsmen and bowler which as been sorely missed in this country for some time.

I’m looking forward to seeing him bowl in Australia in a few months time under test conditions. Should conditions be helpful for him (unlikely as the pitches will be green to negate him) we could be saying what an upset in Cairns and Darwin.

That being the case, lets make a rule so that teams playing Bangladesh have to bowl from the return crease. That way they too can be more competitive.

 

[Port01]

Originally posted by DaveW
In England's case that's not far off the mark.

Hussain's comments come after Murali took 11 wickets in the first Test.

David Lloyd's comments in 1998 followed Murali taking 16 wickets in a Test against the Poms.

I agree that Murali is a chucker, but the comments that have come from England smack of sour grapes.

If you agree he is a chucker, then you are accusing the english of sour grapes because someone cheated against them to beat them.

Hardly reflects badly on them.

If someone cheats against me and wins, I'll let every man and his dog know about it. If they beat me farily and I whine, then you can go on about sour grapes.

 

[RogerC]

Must say, it's a lot of fun watching you all cack your dacks over Murali. This debate comes up every time he does anything, and I suppose it will reach a frenzy when he passes Warne and goes on to surpass Walsh.

It usually boils down to "I can see with my own eyes, and I know he's a chucker and an cheat". It rarely progresses beyond that.

But there he is, still bowling, still taking wickets. Conspiracy theorists' field day. The South East Asian Cricket Mafia and all that.

Does it really matter that much to all of you? Really?

 

[Dipper]

Originally posted by DaveW
In England's case that's not far off the mark.

Hussain's comments come after Murali took 11 wickets in the first Test.

David Lloyd's comments in 1998 followed Murali taking 16 wickets in a Test against the Poms.

I agree that Murali is a chucker, but the comments that have come from England smack of sour grapes.

You conveniently forget that we've won the last 2 series between the countries & during those the consensus was still that he was a chucker, in fact on the last trip over there we got a plan together that saw us deal with him pretty well, especially the lefties that's why it's so gutting now that his leg spinner, which is now making batting as hard for the cackhanders as the righthanders, is even more of a chuck than his orthodox off break.

The thing is that there is very bad feeling between the two teams & whilst we cop all their mouthing off that they do when they've got 7 blokes around the bat to the spinners the minute we say anything to them they always go 'telling tales to teacher'.

The funny thing about Hussain calling him a cheat when he came out to bat was that Murali proved him right when he was bowled out & pictures show that he saw that the ball hit the stumps but he stood his ground & the umpires weren't going to give him out because they had some doubt as to whether the wicketkeeper broke the stumps.He would have got away with it as well but England protested & Daryl Hair(who's had a shocker in this & the last Test) wrongly sought the adjudication of the 3rd umpire who gave him out.
But I think by staying there when he'd been bowled out further shows his attitdue to the spirit of cricket.