Cricket Australia manages coup, ropes in Muralidaran for guest spin coach role
By ANITuesday, February 8, 2011
SYDNEY - Once declared an outcast by Australian cricket fans, veteran Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has agreed to sign on as a guest spin coach at the Brisbane-based Centre of Excellence in June this year.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Test cricket’s greatest wicket-taker will not only impart the secrets of his spin wizardry but also record a spin coaching tutorial so his extraordinary know how will be passed on to future generations of Australian spinners.
It maybe recalled that Murali was repeatedly heckled, taunted and even had fruit thrown at him by unruly Australian fans here since being no-balled by Darrell Hair in the 1995 Boxing Day Test.
Australian great Greg Chappell, one-time Indian coach and Australia’s only full-time selector, masterminded Murali’s visit by using his extensive network of contacts in the subcontinent.
“This is a wonderful opportunity … Murali has probably forgotten more about spin bowling than most people will ever know in a lifetime,” Chappell told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.
He added: “He is one of the greatest spin bowlers of all time, we are very, very lucky. It is not just Murali’s obvious physical skill that will be a huge benefit for our young spinners. It is also his mental toughness, his cleverness, his cunning and his ability to be able to set a batsman up and bowl 10-15 overs to a plan.”
The Murali news is a shot in the arm for Australian cricket at a time when it conducts a major review into a devastating Ashes loss and tries to plot a fresh course into the future.
The nation’s depleted spin stocks are one of the most pressing issues with 10 frontline spinners deployed at Test level since Shane Warne walked off into the sunset at the end of the 2006-07 home Ashes series. (ANI)
