Australia as a cricketing venue hasn't been the kindest so far as Muttiah Muralitharan is concerned.

The world's highest Test wicket-taker's first tryst with controversy began at the MCG in 1995, when he was no-balled seven times for 'chucking' by Darrell Hair. Since then, Muralitharan has had a difficult time Down Under, his action under repeated scrutiny, taunting chants of 'chucker' from spectators accompanying every delivery and compelling him to stop touring Australia for a while. These days, Murali is received with far greater respect by the Australian fans, but it is as if the mental scars haven't completely healed. Last November, Murali arrived for a two-Test series needing eight wickets to supplant Shane Warne as Test cricket's most prolific bowler. He managed but four, and had to wait till a home Test against England to power his way past the Australian leg-spinner.

The current tri-series hasn't been a great success — to date — for the 36-year-old with the thousand-watt smile. Pitted against two teams who, like the Lankans themselves, play spin better than anyone else in world cricket, the off-spinner non-pareil has found the going tough.

Spectacular fashion

He began the tournament in spectacular fashion, with two wickets in his very first over, at the Gabba against India. Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma remain his only two victims after 24 further overs, and Murali will know in his heart of hearts that the latter's wicket was a gift to him from Rudi Koertzen.

In all, Murali has figures of 25-0-129-2. The two wickets aren't so much of a surprise because these days, most teams across the world including even the Aussies merely seek to play him out with minimal damage. That he has gone for more than five an over — against India, he has conceded 87 in 15 overs at nearly six — must be worrying for Mahela Jayawardene, who has relied on Murali to at least bottle one end up, if nothing else.

Of course, not too much should be read into the fact that Murali conceded 36 from five overs at the Manuka Oval on Tuesday. “It was a shortened game, and with the fast bowlers having done a pretty decent job, the Indians were always going to go after Murali,” Jayawardene acknowledged. “I did feel, that he was a little hesitant in the first couple of overs,  little negative in thinking.”

Both Australia and India are adept at moving in for the kill at the first sign of an opening. For Sri Lanka's sake, Murali has to quickly rediscover his hunger for wickets, particularly with the tri-series so delicately poised. The WACA with its additional bounce, against Australia on Friday, is not a bad place to start turning things around.