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McGrath pipes in

Our Rediff correspondent

The fast bowler from New South Wales, recently voted as International Cricketer of the Year, joined the chorus of voices debating about the chucking issue. "People talk about fast bowlers deliberately doing it to get an edge but I'm not sure what the edge is or how it is gained," remarked McGrath.

Citing the cases of Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan and Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar, both of whom were called for chucking in Australia, he says, "It's such a frustrating thing for bowlers because there never seems to be a definitive answer given on whether they are guilty or innocent."

He confessed his own confusion about the statuses of Muralitharan and Akhtar, saying, "Murali was no-balled five years ago but has drifted around the world since with no one sure whether he has been officially cleared. Shoaib's case is similar. He is no longer banned, but has he been officially cleared?"

Off-spinner Muralitharan was called for throwing in Australia in 1995/96. He was then cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) but subsequently called again in Australia in 1998/99. That incident led to much controversy with Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga even taking his team off the field.

Akhtar, dubbed the "Rawalpindi Express", was banned by the ICC on December 30 last year after his bowling action was questioned during the Test series in Australia. That decision too was overturned.

Regarding the storm surrounding Brett Lee, his latest fast bowling colleague, McGrath urged prompt action from the ICC, commenting, " There are some players in world cricket you think have questionable actions and some you never suspect... like Brett Lee."

He then went on to say, "Let's just hope the matter can be quickly sorted out so he can maintain the form that made him such a boost for the game last season."