Murali not the first to decline invitation

[a massive zebra]

Roebuck cant be to smart if he compares the professional cricketers of today with the semi professionals of the seventies.

I'm sure he is smart enough to write correctly, however.

Still some people think that Murali is bigger than cricket.

And some people are jealous of Murali.

 

[Sanz]

Blewy, There were no safety issues, it was only in the mind of Australian (& WI) players. As for your Prime Minister speaking his mind, Please ask him to speak his mind about Brett Lee as well.

 

[Tom Halsey]

What are australian fans cribbing about and calling Murali a Chicken, Cricket world can never forget Aussie team's chickening out act in 1996 world Cup when they refused to play their game in Sri Lanka.

What a load of rubbish.

There were huge security fears there (a bomb went off very near the hotel) and I fail to see the security fears here.

 

[anzac]

as one of Murali's fiercest critics regarding 'doosragate' etc, I'd just like to say that I have no problems with him not touring AUS..........disappointed perhaps from a cricketing point of view, but I respect anyone's right to make the decision not to go etc................

However I do take issue re his explanations as per his continued criticism of the PM & the tour venues...........

I just wish he'd kept his mouth shut and just issued a statement that he was unavailable, rather than open it & add more fuel to the fire...........

 

[Swervy]

What are australian fans cribbing about and calling Murali a Chicken, Cricket world can never forget Aussie team's chickening out act in 1996 world Cup when they refused to play their game in Sri Lanka.

what a complete pile of steaming bull$&!t

you are the only person I have ever heard that said Australia and WI chickened out of playing in Sri Lanka in 96.

Sorry, but that is the most idiotic thing I have seen on this forum for a long time

 

[Langeveldt]

I'm definitely not a fan, and he knows full well all this is controversy is for a reason. And if he doesnt put his doosra away, he deserves every bit of flack he gets.. However there does come a point when it gets a bit too much..

However , if all sportsmen were as fragile, I dont think any South Africans would be touring Oz, and Football wouldnt exist

 

[Langeveldt]

what a complete pile of steaming bull$&!t

you are the only person I have ever heard that said Australia and WI chickened out of playing in Sri Lanka in 96.

Sorry, but that is the most idiotic thing I have seen on this forum for a long time

And I suppose the Kiwi's chickened out of touring pakistan when that bomb blew up outside their hotel and gutted their tour bus?

 

[Sanz]

what a complete pile of steaming bull$&!t

you are the only person I have ever heard that said Australia and WI chickened out of playing in Sri Lanka in 96.

Sorry, but that is the most idiotic thing I have seen on this forum for a long time

Bull****, Yes that's what we said when he first heard Shane Warne uttering this :-

"To put it bluntly, I`m very concerned," Warne said. "I don`t
think anyone could hold it against me. I won`t make a decision
until we`ve met and come to a team decision," he added, after ad-
mitting to receiving a threatening letter. "What about when I`m
rooming with someone? They could be brought into it if somebody
is after me. I don`t want to room with myself either. I`ll be
checking my room-service tray. As long as we decide we`re all go-
ing to support each other, I would probably go.

"I live and die for cricket but to go on a tour where there`s a
chance of maybe not coming back, that`s a big thing to do.

"The bottom line is no matter how much security there is, how do
you stop one crazed individual? My life is worth a lot more than
going to the World Cup. The thing that keeps running through my
head is it doesn`t matter how much security you`ve got, when
you`re out on the field you can`t have bodyguards or whatever."

Remember, All this was before the bomb blast.

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_dat...6/ARTICLES/JAN1996/WC96_AUS_WORRIED_23JAN1996

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_dat...CLES/JAN1996/WC96_AUS_UNITY_CAUTION_22JAN1996

 

[Sanz]

However , if all sportsmen were as fragile, I dont think any South Africans would be touring Oz, and Football wouldnt exist

Right, On the same note, if there was so much security thread in South Asia, Cricket there would have died by now.

 

[Sanz]

And I suppose the Kiwi's chickened out of touring pakistan when that bomb blew up outside their hotel and gutted their tour bus?

That was after 9/11, there was a war of terror going on in Pakistan-Afghanistan Border. It is a shame that you compare that to 1996 world cup.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Which was at a point when a civil war in Sri Lanka was going on. Even more dangerous...

 

[Sanz]

I just wish he'd kept his mouth shut and just issued a statement that he was unavailable, rather than open it & add more fuel to the fire...........

He has kept his mouth shut, for most part, He isn't really parroting his statements to anyone. He said it only once (or twice). Dont tell me that you dont want him to speak his mind but at the same time you do not have any problem with Mr. Howard speakin his mind and giving his opinion on everything except politics. SriLankans do have a democracy like Australia and guess what they can listen to their 'Inner voice' as well.

 

[Swervy]

That was after 9/11, there was a war of terror going on in Pakistan-Afghanistan Border. It is a shame that you compare that to 1996 world cup.

and its a shame you compare this murali situation with the world cup in 96

 

[Langeveldt]

That was after 9/11, there was a war of terror going on in Pakistan-Afghanistan Border. It is a shame that you compare that to 1996 world cup.

1996.. when the subcontinent was such a model of political stability...

 

[Sanz]

Which was at a point when a civil war in Sri Lanka was going on. Even more dangerous...

Tom, If you do some research on your own, you will find out that the Civil War in SL has been around for ages and was there in 1992 & 1994 when Australia toured SL.

(Initially)Their boycott was more because of the fear from some fans their cricketers had in mind. Murali and Ranatunga had tough time in their previous tour of Australia and Aussie players were afraid that they would get similar treatment from Sri Lankan Fans. the bomb blast was a blessing in disguise for them. Do some research before you start defending Australian act.

 

[Sanz]

and its a shame you compare this murali situation with the world cup in 96

No it's not. You need to read about the world cup, Australia's boycott plan had nothing to do with Civil War in SriLanka. They were worried about Fan reaction, which was not there at all.

 

[Sanz]

1996.. when the subcontinent was such a model of political stability...

Care to explain us what was wrong in the subcontinent during 1996 ??

 

[Tom Halsey]

Tom, If you do some research on your own, you will find out that the Civil War in SL has been around for ages and was there in 1992 & 1994 when Australia toured SL.

(Initially)Their boycott was more because of the fear from some fans their cricketers had in mind. Murali and Ranatunga had tough time in their previous tour of Australia and Aussie players were afraid that they would get similar treatment from Sri Lankan Fans. the bomb blast was a blessing in disguise for them. Do some research before you start defending Australian act.

Then consider a bomb was dropped very near the hotel about 2 weeks before they were planning to stay there. Apparently, top top security was offered, but let's face it, I wouldn't have wanted to go there with bombs and the like. Also I agree the bomb was a blessing in diguise. If it was dropped 2 weeks later, they'd likely be dead now.

 

[anzac]

He has kept his mouth shut, for most part, He isn't really parroting his statements to anyone. He said it only once (or twice). Dont tell me that you dont want him to speak his mind but at the same time you do not have any problem with Mr. Howard speakin his mind and giving his opinion on everything except politics. SriLankans do have a democracy like Australia and guess what they can listen to their 'Inner voice' as well.

as has been previously debated - Howard's comments were in answer to a direct question on the subject, and he responded in relation to the testing done in WA that found the delivery action for the doosra was illegal - basically anyone who'se action is found to be illegal is called a "chucker" as a standard terminology (at least here it is).........

Murali & Co may not like the use of the term but it is part of Aussie slang.....and in this context it is correct in so much as the delivery action is outside the laws of the game...........

again - much of all this hoo haa from the Murali camp is IMO part of the diversion tactics regarding the delivery action, and trying to make out that everything is a personal attack against him, rather than his delivery action.........

yes you can counter that he may have also been responding to a direct question, but if he had just issued a statement then he would not have needed to face any questions, and in any respect he could have responded along the lines that he had previously responded to the statement..........

I note that you have nothing to say so far as his criticism of the Tour itinerary or venues is concerned, and chose to focus on the 'personal' issues..... as per the above

 

[Tom Halsey]

1996.. when the subcontinent was such a model of political stability...

I agree - if only the world was as stable now as it was then in the subcontinent.