Muttiah Muralitharan - From being no-balled in 1995 to the greatest bowler of all times and now a biopic

When one looks at Sri Lanka in the decade of the 80s and the 90s, it was a fractured  society that was beset with the bloody civil war between the Army and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE). Tensions between Sinhalese citizens and Tamils were also strained, especially after the pogrom of Black July in 1983. The civil war and the effect it had on Sri Lankan cricket was evident, with no Tamil representative in the national team for a long time. However, one Hill Country Tamil boy would come into this set-up and establish greatness that would redefine Sri Lankan society in times of turmoil.

His grandfather, Periyasamy Sinaswamy, came to work in the tea plantations of Kandy in the early 1920. His son, Muttiah, stayed on in Sri Lanka and ran a successful biscuit-making business. Muttiah’s son, Muralitharan in the romanised version and Muralidaran in the Tamil dialect, had a liking for cricket. It was from the Hills of Kandy that Muttiah Muralitharan took his first step. At St Anthony’s college, Muralitharan started out as a pacer but wisely, he chose to bowl spin.

Tamil Union Cricket Club gave him wings to prosper and he made his international debut in 1992 against the Australian team led by Allan Border. Soon, Muralitharan started getting noticed as a bowler who generated massive amounts of turn. The wickets in the sub-continent suited Muralitharan and he soon became a mainstay in the side.

Chucking and Australia ‘phobia’

In 1995, with millions watching on TV and the thousands at the ground for Sri Lanka’s historic Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, the world witnessed an ugly scene where umpire Darrell Hair no-balled Muralitharan for chucking. His continuous no-balling of Muttiah Muralitharan became a massive issue and the ICC was forced to look into their chucking laws.

In 1998, Muttiah Muralitharan was again no-balled by umpire Ross Emerson during the Adelaide ODI against England. This time, skipper Arjuna Ranatunga threatened to walk off and forfeit the game as a sign of solidarity. That statement by Arjuna Ranatunga in 1998 was a game-changer in Sri Lanka. For the first time, Muralitharan was viewed not just as a great bowler but also as a unifying factor.

The accusations of chucking did not go away from his cricketing career. India left-arm spinning great Bishan Singh Bedi has always accused Muralitharan of chucking the ball. There were many silently who begrudged Muralitharan as the ICC changed the chucking laws, allowing a flex of 15 degrees and not more. After strenuous testing, it was revealed that Muralitharan’s hyperflexible wrist gave an illusion of chucking. However, it did not satisfy the Australian public who would occasionally call-out no-ball whenever Muralitharan bowled.

From setback to greatness

However, from becoming a Sri Lankan iconic, he soon transformed into one of the greatest and most feared bowler in the world. On a dry wicket which assisted spin, Muralitharan was deadly. He shattered every bowling record that was possible in Tests. He took 67 five-wicket hauls, 22 10-wicket hauls and he had a five-wicket haul in every nation barring Australia. He helped Sri Lanka to some memorable wins in Tests. His 16 wickets in the Oval Test, including 9/65 in the second innings set up Sri Lanka’s first win in England. In 2006, in Trent Bridge, his 8/70 gave Sri Lanka a series-levelling win.

Against every opponent, barring to a certain extent India and Australia, Muralitharan’s dominance was complete. He reached where no bowler had ever reached in 2010 when he dismissed Pragyan Ojha to become the first bowler to get to 800 Test wickets. The celebrations in Galle on that day testified the true greatness of Muttiah Muralitharan. From being a Tamil boy in a fractured society at the beginning to being the ultimate unifying factor for Sri Lanka and a feared bowler whose records might never be broken. Now, a biopic is on the cards. Journeys cannot be more legendary than this.