Magic Of Muttiah Muralitharan

On Thursday, 22^nd July, on a warm afternoon at Galle International stadium, Muttiah Muralitharan took his 800^th test wicket and left behind what will forever be a defining moment for cricket.

At the beginning of the 2^nd innings, Murali needed 3 more wickets to make it to the 800. Having removed Yuvraj on the 4^th day and Harbhajan Singh on the 5^th day, Murali had to wait for his moment on Day 5 as lbw and stumping appeals were turned down and paceman Malinga was liable to blast the Indian tail away at any moment.

At around 1:55 pm, the phenomenal off-spinner snared India’s last wicket, Pragyan Ojha, by tossing one just outside the off stump which brushed Ojha’s bat and carried to Mahela Jayawardene at first slip. Murali had taken his 800^th wicket.

Before the test match against India, Muralitharan had announced that it would be his last in test cricket, 800 wickets or not. With 8 wickets short of the big number, very few were expecting Murli to write his name in history with such style and resilience. The 37-year-old virtuoso spent an agonising 228 minutes and 141 deliveries waiting for number 800.

During this last test match of his career, firecrackers went off at the start of every day's play to celebrate Muralitharan's stupendous career and he was given a guard of honour by both the Indian and Sri Lankan players during the match.

Muttiah Muralitharan made his debut in 1992 against Australia. He went on to take his first 100 test wickets in 27 Tests. The evolution of the genius is proven by the fact that the hundreds thereafter came in 15, 16, 14, 15, 14 and 12 Tests respectively. Murali has constantly reinvented himself. His 800 wickets came at an average of 22.72.

The off-spinner has been one of the most talked about players in contemporary cricket as he has had the world cricket debating about his unorthodox and weird bowling action. One of the most controversial spinners in the world, Murali’s debate-inducing moves were in fact responsible for cricket's first proper attempt to define the legal delivery. While studying Murali's action, it was noticed that some of the finest bowlers known for their smooth actions did send down illegal deliveries too.

The mechanics of his bowling action were investigated and cleared on more than one occasion by the International Cricket Council. And then in 2005 the ICC amended its rules to allow bowlers to straighten their arms by up to 15 degrees.

Before the start of the Galle Test, Anil Kumble spoke of Murali’s achievement, "When you see that Murali has played exactly the same number of Tests as me and taken 173 wickets more," he said, "you begin to understand the magnitude of his achievement."

The magnitude of his achievement lies significantly in the legacy he has left behind. The top 3 players who have ever come close to his tally, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and Glenn McGrath have all retired from test cricket. More importantly, their tally came no where close to the stupendous 800. And so at the moment, there isn’t anyone in the horizon who seems to be able to touch the maestro’s record. With interest in test cricket waning, this page in history might be untouched forever.

Magical Murali Moments

Murali had an enthralling battle for supremacy with Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne as both kept re-writing the highest wicket record.
It was the summer of 2004. Muralitharan claimed the title for highest wicket taker in test cricket for a few months before Australia’s Shane Warne took over. What followed was one of the most eagerly followed and watched series in the history of cricket. Australia Vs Sri Lanka in 2004 had its most interesting moments in the two bowlers who tried to surpass each other. Every match was a tight call. Everyone was glued to their television screens as two maestros of bowling battled it out for the top spot. Murali got the upper hand in the second test as he reached 500 wickets on his home ground in Kandy.

In 2006, in a 2 test series against South Africa, Murali’s 22 wickets in 2 tests was a record for any bowler in a two test series. His worst figures in that entire series were 4/41 in the first innings of the first test.

In July 2007, Muttiah Muralitharan became the second bowler after Warne to capture 700 Test wickets. Still not able to overtake Warne, he reclaimed the record during the first Test against England at Kandy on 3 December 2007. Muralitharan reached the mark in his 116th Test – 29 fewer than Warne – and had conceded only 21.77 runs per wicket compared to the Australian's 25.41. This was also Muralitharan's 61st 5-wicket haul.

He also holds records for taking 10 wickets in a match, an astonishing 22 times and five wickets in an innings, 67 times, the most by any bowler.

In January 1998, Murali took his first ten-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in the first Test at Kandy. Sri Lanka won by eight wickets and Murali had figures of 12 for 117.
And in August that same year he produced his career-best Test match figures of 16 for 220, in the one-off Test against England. In England's second innings Murali bowled a marathon 54.2 overs to pick up 9 for 65 runs.

In 2000, at a time when India were considered the king of spins, he reduced India from 99/2 to 129/6 in a matter of 10 overs, including the wicket of Robin Singh who became his 200th ODI victim. When he snapped up Tendulkar, the end came swiftly. No one had seen India surrender so meekly to spin.

The list is endless. The achievements are many and great. But the magic of Murali has walked its final mile. And he will forever be remembered for his a genius, and as an inspiration for future cricketers.

CRICKET IN USA

A ball, a bat and hearts full of enthusiasm. America’s favorite game, baseball, is not far in definition from the World’s second most favorite sport, Cricket. And believe it or not, the ties between this “gentleman’s game” and the United States of America go back 3 whole centuries!

Let me begin by telling you some interesting yet less known facts about the sport of cricket in USA:

· Cricket came to USA for the first time in the 1700s through the British.

· The first ever international cricket match was played between USA and Canada! It was held on 24 September 1844 by the St George's Cricket Club at the former Bloomingdale Park in Manhattan.

· The first intercollegiate tournament in America was a cricket tournament.

· There is anecdotal reference that the game of cricket (then called “wicket” at times) was popular amongst the troops of Valley Forge and that George Washington himself enjoyed a game of “wicket”.

· As late as 1855, the New York press was still devoting more space to coverage of cricket than to baseball.

But here’s the Big Irony.

Cricket used to be one of the most popular sport in America during the 1700s, 1800s and even early 1900s. After the United States Civil War the baseball team, Cincinnati Red Stockings brought a talented young bowler from the St. George's Cricket Club in New York to serve as a player and manager of the team. Harry Wright applied the "scientific" batting and specialized placement of fielders that he had learned in cricket to his new sport, a major reason for the Cincinnati team's undefeated 1869 season. Ironically, this was also instrumental in declining the popularity of cricket and securing the place of baseball as one of the most popular sports in the country.

But today the situation has changed drastically. Cricket, with all its similarities and disparities with Baseball, is gaining popularity in USA.

The reasons for this are varied.

USA has a population of 16 million immigrants from various Commonwealth countries like India, Pakistan and West Indies, where cricket has been extremely popular over the years and they have been a crucial factor in increasing cricket’s popularity in USA.

There is more interest and enthusiasm for the game today with the advent of 20-over matches and tournaments like the Hong Kong Super 6’s which suit the American style more.

Many believe that the game is a natural for American TV because of the ready-made breaks at the end of over for advertising. The limited over game also fits well into the four-five hour attention span of the public.

A significant point is that cricket is the second most popular sport in the World. The international governing body of the sport, International Cricket Council or ICC, has 104 member countries. With a huge fan-base and ever-increasing popularity, the sport has huge potential for a sport-crazy country like America.

The team that represents the United States of America in international cricket is called The United States National Cricket Team. The team became an associate member of the ICC in 1965.

The United States participated in the ICC Trophy when the tournament started in 1979. They have been successful and have continued to improve ever since.

A Short History of American Cricket

In the 1800s, cricket enjoyed its greatest popularity along the east coast corridor between Philadelphia and New York. A contemporary report notes that upwards of 5,000 people played the game in those cities.

In 1833, students at Haverford College established what is generally accepted as the first cricket club exclusively for Americans. This club was short-lived, but helped to keep interest in the sport alive in Philadelphia leading to the foundation of the Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1854 and the Germantown and Young America clubs in 1855. By this time, Philadelphia had become the unofficial "Cricket Capital of America."

The Philadelphian cricket team was a team that represented Philadelphia in first-class cricket between 1878 and 1913. In Philadelphia, the sport was always very popular and from the end of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War I, the city produced a first class team that rivaled many others in the world.

American Cricket Today

Some of the cricket clubs playing across the country are Edison Cricket Club, Commonwealth cricket club, British officer’s cricket club and York cricket club.

The Houston Cricket League is slowly gaining popularity as it provides young players with a platform to play organized cricket and endeavors to create an international team to compete with the best in the world.

Ever heard of the Bay Area Badshahs, San Francisco Blasters, DreamCricket Fooglies, Fresno Falcons, NCCA Vice Presidents XI, Santa Clara Cricket Club, Union City Cricket Club and WIN? These teams contested for the 20-20 USA Independence TANA Cup tournament which made its debut in Santa Clara, California on July 3 hosted by the North California Cricket Association (NCCA) and sponsored by the Telugu Association of North America (TANA).

The Compton Cricket Club or CCC is a cricket club based in, Compton, Los Angeles County, California. The CCC is an all American-born disadvantaged exhibition cricket team. The team includes Latino and African American ex-gang members. Founded in 1995 by US homeless activist Ted Hayes and Hollywood movie Producer Katy Haber to combat the negative effect of poverty, urban decay and crime in Compton, the club uses the ideals of sportsmanship, and the particular importance of etiquette and fair play in cricket, to help players develop respect for authority, a sense of self-esteem and self-discipline.

Recent Developments

Developments in recent years suggest that fortunes are changing.

In recent times, USA participated in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy. Even though they were beaten in matches against Australia and New Zealand, this involvement in the 2004 cup as well as their decent performances in the qualifying matches for the World Cup does show a rapid increase in the popularity of the sport.

The team recently played in 2010 Division Five (World Cricket League) and won promotion to 2010 Division Four. If they are able to get placed in the top two in 2010 Division Four, they will be further promoted to 2011 Division Three. This will increase their chances of qualifying for 2015 Cricket World Cup.

A current development in the ties between Cricket and America is the exhibit called “Swinging Away: How Cricket and Baseball Connect”, hosted jointly by the Marylebone Cricket Club and the National Baseball Hall of fame. The exhibit celebrates the similarities and differences between the two sports. It is currently being displayed at the museum at the Lord's cricket ground in London and will be held next April by The Baseball Hall of Fame, based in Cooperstown, New York.

This wonderful article by John Burns of The New York Times, explores the historical connect between Cricket and Baseball. "Cricket and Baseball Find Common Ground in Show"

Today, there are 30,000 registered players and about 200,000 people who play cricket of some sort at weekends in USA, says Don Lockerbie, chief executive of the USA Cricket Association. Throw in an estimated 15 million fans, 950 clubs and 48 leagues, and the game probably hasn't been this healthy since that famous match in 1844.

The first international-standard stadium has been completed in Florida, at a cost of $15m (£9.3m). A pilot scheme in New York, in which 32 schools play cricket, is in its third year, for pupils aged 15 to 19. And in Atlanta, 35 schools have introduced the sport into their physical education class.

Cricket's supporters in the US have also been finding themselves in the media spotlight. Joseph O'Neill's highly-acclaimed novel Netherland, which has been championed by Oprah Winfrey and President Barack Obama, tells the story of cricket-playing immigrants in New York and is to be made into a Hollywood film.

With such emerging trends, there is no doubt that Cricket is fast becoming a major sport in America. 20-20 cricket is especially believed to capture the attention and passions of the American public. As different forms of the game gain momentum through the world and capture American attention, USA seems all set to scream “Howzzat!”