News

Murali's action unlikely to be tested in a match

A Test-match trial of Muttiah Muralitharan's action, as suggested by Shane Warne, seems unlikely with the news the ICC will not have the technology for such tests for at least two years

Cricinfo staff
14-Nov-2007


It is likely to be at least two years before Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling action could be tested in a match © Getty Images
A Test-match trial of Muttiah Muralitharan's action, as suggested by Shane Warne, seems unlikely with the news the ICC will not have the technology for such tests for at least two years. Warne said it would give Muralitharan and the cricketing world "peace of mind" to have Muralitharan's bowling style assessed in match conditions.
However, Muralitharan was unconvinced that further analysis was necessary. "I don't know about that," Muralitharan said in the Daily Telegraph. "I have done a lot of testing."
The paper reported that the ICC was working with biomechanics experts to develop a system where trials could occur during matches, but the technology was still some way from completion. Daryl Foster, the former Western Australia coach who helped analyse Muralitharan's action at the University of Western Australia in 2004, said laboratory trials were the best measure for the time being.
"With the technology we have available at the moment, and the margin of error that exists, it's far better for the time being that this is done in a controlled laboratory environment," Foster said. Muralitharan's action has been repeatedly cleared by the ICC since he was first no-balled for throwing during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne in 1995-96.