India - Sri Lanka Test Series - Muralitharan Awaits Number 800
When you attempt to profile a habitual record breaker like Muralitharan, you run the risk of drowning, without recourse, in statistics.
I shall try not to drown, by trying merely to read the story hidden within the numbers, and hopefully, I will not need cardio pulmonary resuscitation to revive me.
It would not be inaccurate to state that Sri Lankan cricket came of age on the back of Murali's match-winning ability.
Sri Lanka began to play test cricket in the 1981-82 season, barely 29 years ago.
Murali began his career in 1992, nearly 18 years ago.
Sri Lanka have had Murali's services for nearly two-thirds of their test tenure.
How strong has Murali's impact been can best be understood, when you compare Sri Lanka's fortunes before his arrival and during his tenure.
Overall, Sri Lanka have played 192 matches, excluding the one underway at Galle, and have 60 wins and 69 losses to show for it, for a win/loss ratio of 0.
86.
The respective figures for Sri Lanka, during the Murali era are 154 matches, 58 wins, 49 losses, and a W/L ratio of 1.
16.
Kindergarten level numerate skills suffice to reveal that in 38 matches before Murali arrived on the scene, Sri Lanka won 2 matches and lost 20.
But wait, Murali did not play in all of those 154 matches, only in 133 of them.
Of those 133 matches, Sri Lanka won 53 and lost 42, for a W/L ratio of 1.
26.
Resorting again to the KG primer, we find that in 21 matches without Murali, Sri Lanka won 5 and lost 7, for a negative W/L ratio of 0.
7.
A cynic might nitpick by pointing out that many of those wins came against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
To which, the perfect rejoinder would be to point out the 2 series won in Pakistan, the one series won in each of England and New Zealand, and four drawn series, all 1-1, in England, Pakistan, New Zealand and West Indies.
To get some perspective, let's compare this with India's record abroad.
When did India start playing test cricket? Before independence, in 1932.
When did India get their first series win abroad? In 1968, in New Zealand.
In other words, referring once again to my kindergarten arithmetic primer, the first win abroad came 36 years after India began to play test cricket.
And to this day, India are yet to win a series in Australia or South Africa.
In Sri Lanka's case, it happened in 1995, also in New Zealand, less than 14 years after they began their test tenure.
Comparisons are odious.
But you get a still better perspective when you do a similar comparison with the records of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, teams that got their baptism to test cricket without having to earn it, leave alone, beg for it.
Coming back to Murali, his record against India has been poor in comparison to his overall test record.
But most bowlers would gladly accept figures of 97 wickets in 22 matches with 6 five-fors, and 2 ten wicket match hauls.
A return of nearly 5 wickets a match is considered poor? With that, my statistical sea-faring is nearly at an end.
I shall revert again to bowling figures, only if absolutely necessary.
The story of Murali is one of strength of character.
Called for chucking in 1995, three years into a fledgling career, he was since vindicated when it was established that virtually every bowler bends his arm to an extent.
Why is it that only Asian players' actions have been questioned, whether Muralitharan or Harbhajan or Shoaib Malik? Hark back to the seventies, when Ghavri was called but Pascoe was let off.
The ICC eventually amended the rules to allow 15% degrees as a permissible limit of bending, thereby making the actions of such luminaries as Michael Holding and Ray Lindwall legal by retrospect.
But we digress.
Murali survived and prospered in an atmosphere that would have stifled the careers of lesser men.
That said, in his darkest hour, he found an ally in his captain, Arjuna Ranatunga.
Murali more than repaid that debt of gratitude a year later when he played his part in Sri Lanka's ODI world cup triumph.
Eleven years later, he would play a still more dominant role in taking his national team to its second ODI World Cup final, a match that Sri Lanka eventually lost to Australia.
Murali brings to the field of play a joie de vivre that raises the spirits of his teammates.
His diving catch to dismiss Ganguly in the 2007 ODI World Cup spoke volumes for his joyous approach to the game.
And his answer as to why he had celebrated the catch as dramatically as he had, his answer was revealing, "I did it to attract my coach who says I am too old to field inside the circle...
" or words to that effect.
His enthusiasm is infectious, as Dhoni -- his Chennai Super Kings captain -- will attest.
So, here we are as we await with bated breath a definite answer to the question, "will Murali get to 800 wickets?", a figure he is currently short of, by eight.
But is Murali anxious to get there? No evidence to indicate that he is.
But we know a bunch who are certainly not anxious to see him get there -- the Indian team.
I shall try not to drown, by trying merely to read the story hidden within the numbers, and hopefully, I will not need cardio pulmonary resuscitation to revive me.
It would not be inaccurate to state that Sri Lankan cricket came of age on the back of Murali's match-winning ability.
Sri Lanka began to play test cricket in the 1981-82 season, barely 29 years ago.
Murali began his career in 1992, nearly 18 years ago.
Sri Lanka have had Murali's services for nearly two-thirds of their test tenure.
How strong has Murali's impact been can best be understood, when you compare Sri Lanka's fortunes before his arrival and during his tenure.
Overall, Sri Lanka have played 192 matches, excluding the one underway at Galle, and have 60 wins and 69 losses to show for it, for a win/loss ratio of 0.
86.
The respective figures for Sri Lanka, during the Murali era are 154 matches, 58 wins, 49 losses, and a W/L ratio of 1.
16.
Kindergarten level numerate skills suffice to reveal that in 38 matches before Murali arrived on the scene, Sri Lanka won 2 matches and lost 20.
But wait, Murali did not play in all of those 154 matches, only in 133 of them.
Of those 133 matches, Sri Lanka won 53 and lost 42, for a W/L ratio of 1.
26.
Resorting again to the KG primer, we find that in 21 matches without Murali, Sri Lanka won 5 and lost 7, for a negative W/L ratio of 0.
7.
A cynic might nitpick by pointing out that many of those wins came against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
To which, the perfect rejoinder would be to point out the 2 series won in Pakistan, the one series won in each of England and New Zealand, and four drawn series, all 1-1, in England, Pakistan, New Zealand and West Indies.
To get some perspective, let's compare this with India's record abroad.
When did India start playing test cricket? Before independence, in 1932.
When did India get their first series win abroad? In 1968, in New Zealand.
In other words, referring once again to my kindergarten arithmetic primer, the first win abroad came 36 years after India began to play test cricket.
And to this day, India are yet to win a series in Australia or South Africa.
In Sri Lanka's case, it happened in 1995, also in New Zealand, less than 14 years after they began their test tenure.
Comparisons are odious.
But you get a still better perspective when you do a similar comparison with the records of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, teams that got their baptism to test cricket without having to earn it, leave alone, beg for it.
Coming back to Murali, his record against India has been poor in comparison to his overall test record.
But most bowlers would gladly accept figures of 97 wickets in 22 matches with 6 five-fors, and 2 ten wicket match hauls.
A return of nearly 5 wickets a match is considered poor? With that, my statistical sea-faring is nearly at an end.
I shall revert again to bowling figures, only if absolutely necessary.
The story of Murali is one of strength of character.
Called for chucking in 1995, three years into a fledgling career, he was since vindicated when it was established that virtually every bowler bends his arm to an extent.
Why is it that only Asian players' actions have been questioned, whether Muralitharan or Harbhajan or Shoaib Malik? Hark back to the seventies, when Ghavri was called but Pascoe was let off.
The ICC eventually amended the rules to allow 15% degrees as a permissible limit of bending, thereby making the actions of such luminaries as Michael Holding and Ray Lindwall legal by retrospect.
But we digress.
Murali survived and prospered in an atmosphere that would have stifled the careers of lesser men.
That said, in his darkest hour, he found an ally in his captain, Arjuna Ranatunga.
Murali more than repaid that debt of gratitude a year later when he played his part in Sri Lanka's ODI world cup triumph.
Eleven years later, he would play a still more dominant role in taking his national team to its second ODI World Cup final, a match that Sri Lanka eventually lost to Australia.
Murali brings to the field of play a joie de vivre that raises the spirits of his teammates.
His diving catch to dismiss Ganguly in the 2007 ODI World Cup spoke volumes for his joyous approach to the game.
And his answer as to why he had celebrated the catch as dramatically as he had, his answer was revealing, "I did it to attract my coach who says I am too old to field inside the circle...
" or words to that effect.
His enthusiasm is infectious, as Dhoni -- his Chennai Super Kings captain -- will attest.
So, here we are as we await with bated breath a definite answer to the question, "will Murali get to 800 wickets?", a figure he is currently short of, by eight.
But is Murali anxious to get there? No evidence to indicate that he is.
But we know a bunch who are certainly not anxious to see him get there -- the Indian team.
Source...