Muttiah Muralitheran's Reactions
After a fairy tale ending to one of the most distinguished sporting careers in the history of the game the King of Spin, Muttiah Muralitheran exits test cricket.
In a career spanning 18 long, yet extremely fruitful years the magician form Kandy hangs his boots with a staggering tally of 800 wickets in test cricket, to go with his 500 wickets in One-Day-International format of the game.
The talisman reached the milestone when he dismissed Praghan Ojha the last Indian batsman with a viciously spinning delivery that went away from the bat catching the outside edge as the tail-ender lunged forward, to hand Mahela Jayawardene his 77th catch of a Murali delivery in test cricket.
The champion Murali went ecstatic as he raised his arms in joys, bringing the entire stadium in Galle at its feet.
The crowd included Murali’s family, and the entire clan was beaming with joy, celebrating the end of an era in test cricket in the most amazing way possible.
It only became sweeter when the Sri Lankan openers made mincemeat of the 95 run target, putting the icing on the cake for Muralitheran.
Expectedly tributes have been flowing in from current and former test players who consider the man from Kandy a true champion
Leading the way is former Indian captain and led-spinning great Anil Kumble who himself is placed at the third spot in the test wicket takers list with a tally of 619 test wickets.
Kumble thinks that Murali is a true genius "It is really amazing that someone like Murali has been able to achieve that. I think it will remain unparalleled. I am not sure if anyone will be able to achieve 800 Test wickets in as many Test matches that I have played. He took 200 more wickets than what I ended up with. It is a great achievement, and I have sent my congratulatory messages".
"He is an exceptional bowler. He has got a quality that no one else has...on any surface".
Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf who himself owns a world record of the most runs in a calendar year for a test batsman, as well as the highest number of centuries in a calendar year when he rose to dizzy heights in 2006 claimed that Murali was the toughest bowler he faced in his career.
Yousuf, who made himself available for the ongoing tour of England, added that the remarkable thing about Murali was his humble nature that made him a truly special human being, and one who richly deserved every thing that he achieved in his career.
The bearded batsman renowned for his fluent drives through the covers added that it was almost impossible for some one to break his record and it would be nothing less than a miracle if any bowler goes past him.
Sri Lankan skipper Kumara Sangakkara was teary eyed as he bade farewell to the champion, the left handed batsman felt that without him the task of winning test matches would be twice as hard for the Lankans.
The Sri Lankan fans meanwhile added colour to the occasion wearing special T-shirts to mark the occasion while special monuments were also placed to salute the most famous son of the land.
Once the euphoria settles down the Sri Lankans would sit back to reflect what it meant to have Muttiah Muralitheran as one of their own, given the sheer magnitude of his performances which out weigh even the likes of Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and the leading fast bowlers in the game.
Murali Reactions
After a fairy tale ending to one of the most distinguished sporting careers in the history of the game the King of Spin, Muttiah Muralitheran exits test cricket.
In a career spanning 18 long, yet extremely fruitful years the magician form Kandy hangs his boots with a staggering tally of 800 wickets in test cricket, to go with his 500 wickets in One-Day-International format of the game.
The talisman reached the milestone when he dismissed Praghan Ojha the last Indian batsman with a viciously spinning delivery that went away from the bat catching the outside edge as the tail-ender lunged forward, to hand Mahela Jayawardene his 77th catch of a Murali delivery in test cricket.
The champion Murali went ecstatic as he raised his arms in joys, bringing the entire stadium in Galle at its feet.
The crowd included Murali’s family, and the entire clan was beaming with joy, celebrating the end of an era in test cricket in the most amazing way possible.
It only became sweeter when the Sri Lankan openers made mincemeat of the 95 run target, putting the icing on the cake for Muralitheran.
Expectedly tributes have been flowing in from current and former test players who consider the man from Kandy a true champion
Leading the way is former Indian captain and led-spinning great Anil Kumble who himself is placed at the third spot in the test wicket takers list with a tally of 619 test wickets.
Kumble thinks that Murali is a true genius "It is really amazing that someone like Murali has been able to achieve that. I think it will remain unparalleled. I am not sure if anyone will be able to achieve 800 Test wickets in as many Test matches that I have played. He took 200 more wickets than what I ended up with. It is a great achievement, and I have sent my congratulatory messages".
"He is an exceptional bowler. He has got a quality that no one else has...on any surface".
Former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 captain Mohammad Yousuf who himself owns a world record of the most runs in a calendar year for a test batsman, as well as the highest number of centuries in a calendar year when he rose to dizzy heights in 2006 claimed that Murali was the toughest bowler he faced in his career.
Yousuf, who made himself available for the ongoing tour of England, added that the remarkable thing about Murali was his humble nature that made him a truly special human being, and one who richly deserved every thing that he achieved in his career.
The bearded batsman renowned for his fluent drives through the covers added that it was almost impossible for some one to break his record and it would be nothing less than a miracle if any bowler goes past him.
Sri Lankan skipper Kumara Sangakkara was teary eyed as he bade farewell to the champion, the left handed batsman felt that without him the task of winning test matches would be twice as hard for the Lankans.
The Sri Lankan fans meanwhile added colour to the occasion wearing special T-shirts to mark the occasion while special monuments were also placed to salute the most famous son of the land.
Once the euphoria settles down the Sri Lankans would sit back to reflect what it meant to have Muttiah Muralitheran as one of their own, given the sheer magnitude of his performances which out weigh even the likes of Shane Warne, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Anil-Kumble-c44737 and the leading fast bowlers in the game.
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