Former cricket team manager Brendon Kuruppu is very happy for Muttiah Muralidaran for having reached his milestone of obtaining the 800 wickets mark. This is the highest number of wickets claimed by any bowler in Test cricket up to date.
 Kuruppu came to know Murali, as he is better known, when he was selected to tour England in 1991. This was the first time they got together in one team and that was Kuruppu’s last tour. From that time onwards they became very good friends and got to know each other better.
When Kuruppu opened the innings for his club, Bloomfield A & CC, they played against each other only a couple of times and at that time Murali bowled only the off breaks and did not have any variations. “Murali has developed into a good bowler with many variations in his armoury. This is why he turned out to be a very effective bowler and much wanted by any captain,” noted Kuruppu.
Muralidaran has been a key member of the Sri Lanka team for many years and was much looked forward to bowl his side to victory. He has done this for many years while playing for Tamil Union A & CC and the national team.
Murali played with distinction for St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota and has taken over a hundred wickets during his school seasons.
Sharing a moment with Son Naren |
After moving on to Tamil Union Murali began working hard in innovating on the deliveries. This was necessary to move on to big time cricket and was quite successful. “Murali is strong in his mind and thinks a lot on his game being a professional cricketer. He always looked to do some things differently. He always was supportive on his team-mates, specially the younger players. He always encouraged the younger players and looked after their needs. He always spoke in one voice for the team,” vouched Kuruppu.
Murali and Coach Bayliss share the joy |
“Murali was a very friendly guy who wants to move around with anyone. Basically he was a cheerful guy and became friends very quickly with strangers,” observed Kuruppu.
Murali would not react to jeers from crowds. This happened only in Australia where the people do not allow good players to shine against their players.
Being a person who is easy to get along and with his humble manners and the achievements in cricket he certainly is a legendary figure. Murali is certain to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of cricket recognized by the ICC in the near future.
At the end of the twentieth century the Times of London had selected sportsmen of the century and the legendary heavyweight boxer Muhammed Ali was named as the Sportsman of the century. But in cricket Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva were named the most entertaining cricketers from Sri Lanka. Certainly Muralidaran should be in line to be named in this list by the Times of London by the end of the 21st century.
“Every player has to retire from cricket some day. It was good to see him retire when he is at his peak, being the highest wicket taker in this format of the game. It was better now rather than wait until he is asked to pack up and go. Very few players have retired when they are at their peak and Murali has been playing exceptionally well in his last few matches,” commented Kuruppu.
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