MUMBAI: Sri Lanka off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan says this year's tour of Australia where he was jeered by spectators for his controversial action made him mentally stronger and more determined to succeed.
The 34-year-old has taken 657 Test wickets, second on the all-time list behind Australian Shane Warne, after claiming 46 victims in his last five Tests, against England and South Africa.
"If there is one thing that maybe has helped me this year it was the experience I had in Australia," Muralitharan wrote on bigstarcricket.com.
"It may sound a strange thing to say as it was a very tough tour for me on and off the field, especially with the abuse we received."
Muralitharan, who is 28 Test wickets adrift of Warne's total, was no-balled on two separate occasions in Australia for a suspect action in the 1990s.
Muralitharan was greeted by shouts of "no ball" from sections of the crowd in Melbourne when he bowled against Australia in a one-day tournament in January.
"But if you go through difficult times and come out the other side, you become a stronger character for it," he wrote.
"That's what happened to me. I like to think that I am quite strong mentally anyway. But these sort of experiences only make me more determined."
