Muttiah Muralitharan: 'Nobody else will take 800 wickets — Nathan Lyon is not good enough'
Sri Lankan legend reveals all on the death of mystery spin, his fears for his home country's future and who he most enjoyed dismissing
By Michael Vaughan
Muttiah Muralitharan retired with 800 Test wickets and, as someone who provided seven of them, it feels right to ask him why he thinks there is a dearth of spin in the modern game.
Batting is hard right now in Test cricket but apart from Ravi Ashwin and Nathan Lyon - more on him later (Murali is not a fan) - it definitely feels as though pace, not spin, is the real weapon these days.
When I played it felt as though we had to contend with great fast bowling and mystery spinners like Murali. But where is the next Murali or Saqlain Mushtaq now?
“The problem in Test cricket is that T20 and ODI cricket have changed the dynamics,” says Murali, talking to me on Zoom from his house in Colombo, shortly before the start of England's Test series against Sri Lanka. “When I played, the batsmen were technically so good and wickets were flat. Now they try to finish matches in three days. The bowlers in my day had to do extra work to get spin and do something magic to get results. Nowadays if you bowl line and length over a period of time you will get five wickets.
“It is guaranteed because batsmen cannot stay for long without attacking. You have a better chance of taking wickets, which is why spinners only have to set the field properly, bowl line and length and let the pitches and batsmen do the rest. Spinners used to have to work hard for wickets which is why they worked hard on developing other deliveries. Now they do that in T20 cricket instead. They bowl different variations because batsmen are coming after them. But in Test cricket you don’t need to do it.”
Will we see another golden age of Test spin bowling? Will a spinner reach 700 or 800 wickets? “Ashwin has a chance because he is a great bowler,” says Murali. “Other than that I don’t think any younger bowler coming in will go to 800. Maybe Nathan Lyon is not good enough to reach it. He is close to 400 but he has had to play many, many matches to get there.”
England will enjoy that little dig at Lyon, just as they will be relieved they do not have to face Murali when the two-Test series begins in Galle. Murali no longer has any involvement in Sri Lankan cricket. He works as bowling coach with IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad, and spends the rest of his time running his aluminium canning business in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan cricket has been in a mess and it is striking how few of the legends are involved in the game. Murali will be watching this series on television, while Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are media pundits.
“You know the politics of the cricket board and recently we have had too many players and too many captains,” says Murali. “I remember when I started, Arjuna [Ranatunga] captained for about 10 years then after that Sanath [Jayasuriya] for four years, then Mahela and Sanga.
“In my career I had four or five captains in a 20-year period but these days we have a captain for six months and then they change. If you want to be successful you have to have a leader players respect. It is not because of the [lack of] talent, but because we have no leaders and do not play together as a team.
“We are like Pakistan. We have so much talent but after one bad innings we fight each other. This is the most difficult time for Sri Lanka cricket. They have not been together for five or six years. Everyone pulls in different directions. It is a shame because if we did pull together we have a lot of talented cricketers.
“We need a leader for at least four years: one coach from World Cup to World Cup. Now they are changing coaches every two years so there is no clear message to the younger players. Those are the mistakes and why our cricket is on a different plane.
“We should have done better in South Africa recently but Sri Lanka will put up a good fight in these Test matches [against England]. As a team, England is better than Sri Lanka but home advantage and spin friendly wickets help. England have their noses in front but that might change.”
Murali dismissed me more times in Test cricket than any other bowler I faced and we would spend hours going over how we were going to try and play him. In 2001 we kicked him away, using our pad as a line of defence. We put our bat behind the pad, pretending to play a forward defensive. We shifted our pad outside the line of off stump and in those days you were not given out lbw on the front foot.
Graham Thorpe had a great series and we ended up winning 2-1. When we went back in 2003, Murali had developed the doosra. We did not know which way it was spinning. Thorpey said, “we’ve got no chance now.” Thanks for that! We basically looked to survive and score at the other end.
I used to try and pick Murali, or Muzzer as we call him, on length. I would attempt to get to the pitch of the ball or get back as far as I could if it was short. About 70 per cent of the time I did not really know if it was spinning in or turning away from me.
There was no DRS in those days, of course. How many wickets would Murali take in this era with the decision review system? He only played one series with DRS, against India in 2008, and took 21 wickets. India were so stung by the experience it put them off DRS for years.
“We beat them easily,” Murali recalls with a laugh. “I would say I would have had more wickets [with DRS] because it would have been hard for batsmen to use the pad. If I came round the wicket to a right hander and if he missed there was a 90 per cent chance the ball would hit the wicket. But umpires were judging it was not out because it was hitting the front leg.
“Batsmen had the benefit of the doubt. Not now. Maybe runs are less now because DRS gives the advantage to the batsman. I can remember when you played us - if you hid the bat and kicked us away now, you would be out. With DRS they will say whether you played a shot or not. You will be out if the ball hits the wicket.”
Whenever I speak to great players I always ask them about their mental approach to the game. The best just seem to have a way of dealing with failure and a self-confidence to not dwell on mistakes. Murali was always a beaming, smiling character but with a steely core that made him a very tough competitor. Sri Lankan teams were always great off the field, lovely guys who would stop and chat, but out in the middle they were at you all the time.
“I did not doubt my skills” says Murali. “But in 1995 when the Boxing Day Test happened [Muralitharan was no-balled for throwing] I had doubts. When an umpire says, ‘you are throwing’ there was doubt about whether my career was going to happen. I did not think I was doing anything wrong. I believed technology would show that but proving myself to other people was very hard.
“I could handle performing but if 50 or 60 per cent of people think I am ok, the other 40 per cent will think I am wrong so you can’t please everyone. It is why we went to the ICC and said, ‘check everyone and not just me’. They checked everyone and came up with the 15-degree law [relating to the amount of flex in the elbow] because everyone had something whether it be six degrees, 11 degrees or whatever.”
Murali has not forgiven Australians and he believes England can win the Ashes later this year saying they have “better batsmen” if the pitches nip around.
He describes Brian Lara as the best batsmen he bowled to, and ranks Andy Flower second on the list. But I have to ask which England player he enjoyed dismissing the most, given he had plenty of experience doing it.
“KP,” he says, without missing a beat. “He had such an ego. He did not want to show he was not good enough. Getting him out was a bigger pleasure than any other player.”
Stuff worth knowing - whether you change your app of choice or not. What data each app is collecting
Forbes compared Signal, Apple’s own iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Signal
None. (The only personal data Signal stores is your phone number, and it makes no attempt to link that to your identity.)
Telegram
Contact Info
Contacts
User ID
iMessage
Email address
Phone number
Search history
Device ID
WhatsApp
Device ID
User ID
Advertising Data
Purchase History
Coarse Location
Phone Number
Email Address
Contacts
Product Interaction
Crash Data
Performance Data
Other Diagnostic Data
Payment Info
Customer Support
Product Interaction
Other User Content
Facebook Messenger
Apps have to show what data is used in what way — categorized by such things as third-party advertising and developer marketing. Some data is shown in more than one category, but it was easy enough to de-dupe them in the above apps. With Facebook Messenger, in contrast, the list is so long I have to list it in full.
Facebook Messenger
Are WhatsApp and Jio Cooling Off on Payments Partnership?
Purchase History
Other Financial Info
Precise Location
Coarse Location
Physical Address
Email Address
Name
Phone Number
Other User Contact Info
Contacts
Photos or Videos
Gameplay Content
Other User Content
Search History
Browsing History
User ID
Device ID
Product Interaction
Advertising Data
Other Usage Data
Crash Data
Performance Data
Other Diagnostic Data
Other Data Types
Browsing History
Health
Fitness
Payment Info
Photos or Videos
Audio Data
Gameplay Content
Customer Support
Other User Content
Search History
Sensitive Info
iMessage
Email address
Phone number Search history https://9to5mac.com/2021/01/04/app-privacy-labels-messaging-apps/
Injuries have plagued the Sri Lanka national cricket team over the past five years. No single individual can be blamed for this state of affairs. Rather, it is the failure of the system to ensure that the efforts of all stakeholders are synergised into one comprehensive plan that will result in the prevention of injuries and the maximisation of the performance of the team.
While the poor scheduling and timing of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) could be one reason for the spate of injuries on the South African tour, the problem lies deeper than that.
The excuse that players did not have enough training due to COVID-9 is a poor one, since other countries such as England, South Africa, New Zealand and even Pakistan, seemed well conditioned for their tours despite being worse hit by the pandemic than Sri Lanka. Players getting injured is inevitable in any sport but when injury rates are as high as what has been experienced over the past five years there is clearly a problem with the overall training programme.
‘Weak Things Break’
Injuries mainly occur due to lack of strength, overtraining and inadequate recovery.
Lack of cardio vascular fitness, excess body fat, poor nutrition and environmental factors (climate, hard grounds etc.) are also contributing aspects for injuries.
A fatigued player is at a higher risk of injury than one who is not. A stronger player will naturally be more resilient and less likely to break down than a weaker player.
Sub maximal efforts (meaning actions which don’t require 100% effort) on the field such as throwing from the outfield, cruising between wickets for a couple of runs, driving a ball to extra cover will be easier on a stronger player than a weaker player.
Stronger players are typically better able to tolerate the cumulative workloads of training, practices and games. This is where methodical strength and conditioning is needed.
Simply put, the easiest way to prevent injury is to get strong. Sudden increases in volume and intensity can cause injury.
Two strength and conditioning sessions every week through the year (104 sessions for the year) is better than four sessions a week six weeks before a tour with long breaks in between during the year. The need to strengthen and condition consistently all year round is critical to prevent injury and maintain fitness rather than to have short intensive bouts of strength and conditioning a few weeks before a tour. This is like building a house without a foundation.
The spate of injuries during the LPL and the South African tour clearly exemplifies the truth of this statement. Players were unable to train hard, with proper supervision, due to COVID-19 resulting in a sudden increase in intensity of training resulting in players breaking down. Not having rest days between games during the LPL could also be a contributing factor for the high number of injuries during the South African tour.
Culture
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has historically not valued fitness as a pre-requisite to representing the country. SLC has to decide whether meeting fitness standards be made a priority to be eligible for selection. If a player is overweight should he be selected purely based on his cricketing skills regardless of his fitness level? Alternatively, should a player miss out if he doesn’t meet the required body fat standards regardless of how skillful he is as a player.
Over the past five years it is apparent that many players have been selected despite being overweight. In the four countries currently dominating world cricket – Australia, England, New Zealand and India – to earn selection meeting fitness standards is non-negotiable. Nothing affects sports performance more than excess body fat. Ensuring body fat standards are met is entirely the responsibility of the player and can be managed almost exclusively by disciplined nutrition.
Should players who manage only a few games on each tour be allowed to remain in the elite player pool, or should they be asked to meet certain fitness standards? Is seniority an absolution of laziness?
The reality is that with cricket becoming a more athletic sport over the last decade, the days of rotund players like Inzamam, Boon, Gatting and Ranatunga is over.
Strength Training and Recovery
The argument made by past cricketers that they never suffered injuries despite training for long hours, not undergoing strength training, while carrying excess body fat, does not hold water any longer because: Modern day cricketers play twice as much cricket compared to the players of two decades back. In such a context the need for strength and recovery is crucial to ensure they stay injury free and ensure peak performance
The modern day cricketer belongs to the ‘sitting generation’ which means weaker backs and joints and therefore more susceptible to injury compared to the players who played two decades back. This is another reason why targeted strength training is critical to ensure prevention of injuries.
Concept of Readiness
Physiotherapists can provide valuable data to the Head Coach and Strength and Conditioning Coach with regard to players who are at a higher risk of injury through injury assessment screening. This is called ‘athlete readiness’ most often, the cause for most common injuries are:
Hamstring – Poor hip mobility
Groin Pulls – Poor core strength
Knee Injuries - Poor ankle mobility and stability
Lower Back - Poor hip and upper back mobility
The injury assessment screening will also help the Head Coach and Strength and Conditioning Coach to tailor training sessions to meet the findings of such screening.
Methodical Strength and Conditioning
There is a mistaken belief in cricketing circles that injuries are caused by players spending too much time in the gym and that cricketing skills can be adversely affected by Strength and Conditioning. The opposite is true, however. Engaging in poorly administered strength programmes can certainly be counter-productive and increase the risk of injury. However a properly administered strengthening programme is the best way to prevent injury in the long term.
Unsupervised Strength Training
It is unfortunately easy to critique the players’ preparation, given the prolific posting of training videos on social media by national players. Cricketers should not be allowed to train unsupervised, or under ad hoc trainers since most national cricketers have limited gym experience. Training footage of many national players posted online show some of the players using poor technique while exercising thus running the risk of increasing injuries.
Additionally some of the exercises contribute nothing to improve cricket performance on the field. Training does not cause injury. Poor training does.
Strength and Conditioning at Club level
The National Strength and Conditioning Coach should administer the fitness regime of all contracted players as well as work closely with fitness coaches working at club level. Players should not be allowed to go outside the system and hire separate fitness coaches and should stay within the overall strength and conditioning plan.
There is a need for clubs to hire Strength and Conditioning coaches who have the capacity to rigorously implement and monitor the programme prescribed by the Sri Lankan Strength and Conditioning Coach. The difficulty here may be that there are too many club teams to monitor. The need to reduce the number of clubs in order to ensure competitiveness as well as monitoring training is important and is an argument that has already been made in a purely cricketing context.
Main Goal – ‘Availability’ and ‘Longevity’
While Strength and Conditioning can improve a player’s fitness, power and speed, the two main goals of any fitness programme at elite level sports is ‘availability’ and ‘longevity’. Getting stronger and fitter will ensure that the best team is available on most occasions giving the team the best chance of winning.
A Sri Lankan team with Angelo Mathews, an Indian team with Virat Kohli, an England team with Ben Stokes will have a better chance of winning games than if those key players were unavailable through injury.
The true test of a player’s skills and his level of greatness cannot be judged until he is in his 30s. In his 20s he can survive and often maintain decent performances with his talent. However, to be at the top of your game in your 30s requires discipline and commitment.
Two good examples of this are Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara, who retired in their late 30s when they were still at the peak of their careers. Both players showed an increasing level of commitment to training despite growing up in the dark ages of strength and conditioning. As players get older, the emphasis on fitness needs to go up proportionately and not the other way around.
Bilal Yusuf is an experienced and qualified Strength and Conditioning coach, having trained many national level athletes from a variety of sports. He is the founder of Sri Lanka’s first ever Strength and Conditioning Company, AthleteUnleashed. He is also a qualified rugby coach having coached at club and school level.
