Murali fails to bowl over the curmudgeons

It would take the grumpiest of curmudgeons to glean satisfaction from Muttiah Muralitharan's missing out on a historic 10-wicket innings haul against Zimbabwe.

So I admit it. I am grumpy. And curmudgeonly to boot.

The Sri Lankan off-spinner, with nine for 51 in the first innings of the second test last week, was on course to become the third bowler in test history to take all 10 wickets last week when team mate Chaminda Vaas deprived him of the honour.

Irony of ironies, left-arm pace bowler Vaas did so accidentally.

Bowling at tail-ender Henry Olonga, he resumed the second day bowling slow medium, way outside off stump, in an attempt to gift Muralitharan the final batsman.

Olonga spoilt the party with a rabbit's swish, contriving to get himself caught behind. Wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, to his credit, felt obliged to complete the catch with regret.

FRIENDLY BOWLING

Sri Lanka, indeed, had been doing what they could to nudge Muralitharan into the history books on the previous evening, with some distinctly friendly bowling from the other end as the off-spinner neared the 10-wicket mark.

Would Muralitharan, as fine a fellow as a player, really have relished the ultimate bowling accolade if it had been thus contrived?

Probably not. How would Don Bradman have felt if England had gifted him a slow leg-side full toss in his last innings at The Oval in 1948 to get the four runs he needed to average 100 in test cricket? Probably not quite right.

Muralitharan almost admitted as much when asked about Vaas' intervention.

"I know he didn't want to take it when he did, but the game and the team is always bigger than us," he said.

Only two bowlers have ever recorded 10 wickets in a test innings -- England's Jim Laker in 1956 and India's Anil Kumble in 1999.

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble's 10 for 74 against Pakistan in Delhi, however, was completed in equally suspect circumstances.

As he headed towards his historic feat after a fine exhibition of attacking spin bowling, skipper Mohammad Azharuddin appeared to exhort the other bowlers to bowl wider and wider to ensure the tail-enders were kept fresh from Kumble. He duly feasted on them.

Perhaps, therefore, off-spinner Laker's 10 for 53 off an extraordinary 51.2 overs against Australia at Old Trafford to complete a match haul of 19 for 90 stands out as extra special.

For though he may have been helped by a drying wicket Laker certainly got no assistance whatsoever from slow left-armer Tony Lock.

ANGRIER AND ANGRIER

Lock, Laker's Surrey team mate and with whom he did not always see eye-to-eye, got angrier and angrier as he beat the bat repeatedly while Laker did the nicking at the other end.

Had anybody suggested to the combustible Lock, who dismissed just one batsman all game for match figures of one for 106, that he should bowl badly to help Laker he would probably have throttled them.

When all is said and done, however, Muralitharan -- who only a few seasons ago looked set to be thrown out of the game because of an unorthodox action -- looks certain to go down in history as the most successful spin bowler of all time.

And even curmudgeons can recognise a good sport when they see one.

His team mates may understandably have offered him a helping hand last week but Muralitharan was clearly not asking for it.

He finished the first innings bowling with an injured finger, dislocated as he bravely attempted to scoop up a catch at deep square leg offered by Olonga off Tilan Samaraweera's bowling.

Had he taken it, the perfect 10 would not have been an issue.

Mail Cricket Editor