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Murali - Hero or Villain?

Lostman

State Captain
Good read, my avatar approves:cool:

Btw here are some of the links for the scientific articles on bowling actions. Unfortunately some of these journal articles are not openly published, however if you are on a university campus it should be available through what ever database your school uses.

Hongkong One of the 1st biomechanical tesst of Murali in 1998.

The Biomechanics of Illegal Bowling Actions in Cricket
(website)

Marshall 2003. (Journal article)

Portus 2006 (Journal article)
 

weldone

Hall of Fame Member
i can't think of many worse things than a number 11 who gets in line with the ball and doesn't slog tbh.
Well said, we even love when our no. 8 does that :)

Pakistan's former no. 1 (or 5 or 6) did that for quite a while, and was praised by the likes of Miandad :p
 
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Teja.

Global Moderator
Brilliant article Fredfertang! :)

Murali, for me, without any doubt by a small but non-negligible margin is the greatest bowler of the Bradman and Post-Bradman era.

To all those who say he chucks, their problems are not with Murali but rather with the existent laws of cricket and 99% of current bowlers.
 

JBH001

International Regular
I'd like to claim that was a deliberate mistake to see who was awake but sadly I can't - it just goes to show I should always check primary source material for accuracy!

Thanks for pointing it out
Actually, HB has that slightly wrong. Dharmesena was a right arm off-cutter. There was a bit of doubt about his action at times, too, but there can be with whippy off-cutters.
 

JBH001

International Regular
For you it might be..

I completely fail to understand your logic. Explain?

Argument isn't over, and it never will be..I think he throws, so do many people around the world. I don't even think he's a cricketer. Chucks it, decidedly average in the field, doesn't get in line and slogs with bat.
Average in the field? Only perhaps in the latter half or third of his career (after being affected by numerous shoulder injuries). In his first few years in international cricket he was a good out-fielder. As for not getting in line and slogging, he is a number 11. What did you expect? Spare me from no. 11 bats who think they are Boycott.
 

Hit Wicket

School Boy/Girl Captain
Good read. I feel the timeline is pretty self explanatory as to what happened :

1. Murali's action was looked upon with suspicion due to his bent arm

2. Tests proved that his arm does not straighten as much as it appears on footage.

3. A lot of other bowlers' flex in the elbow was found to be similar to Murali's

4. The rules were modified so that international cricket is left with more bowlers than Sarwan - the only bowler whose elbow did not show straightening in the tests.

5. Murali and practically all other bowlers benefited from this change in rule.
 

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