Grand farewell leaves Madhi Malar emotional

Muttiah Muralitharan’s better half wore a smile as broad as her famous husband’s patented one, but there was no mistaking the gamut of emotions she was going through when the offie was stuck on 799 Test wickets for the longest of times.

“Deep inside, I knew he would get there, but I was unable to sleep last night,” she said after the dust had settled. “I was stressed a bit. Then again, if he had got the 800th wicket early, it would have robbed the fans of all the excitement!”

Madhi is from Chennai, but Sri Lanka has taken her to heart after her wedding to this country’s most famous son. “I think I am a very lucky woman to have a husband who is liked by all. It was a great farewell, a great feeling to see so many people wish him well from the time he announced his decision to retire from Tests. I did not want him to retire, but it was entirely his decision to call it a day.”

Fitting reply
Haroon Lorgat, ICC CEO, deftly side-stepped a question on whether, given the turn of events, Australian umpires Darrell Hair and Ross Emerson were wrong in calling Muttiah Muralitharan for ‘chucking’ during Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia in 1995.

“There is no better way to respond to all that than the way Murali did,” Lorgat replied. “The umpires acted on what they saw, doing their job. Murali rose above all that and exited in the most graceful manner.

“It was an honour to be here today, when we witnessed Murali exiting the stage with 800 wickets. Needless to say, the day belonged to Murali and Sri Lanka cricket for having produced a legend. It has been a remarkable career full of achievements. We would love to see another Murali come along. This is a very special day and we dedicate this day to Murali.”

The absence of the Umpire Decision Review System in this series has sparked mixed reactions. “At the moment, the host member decides in consultation with the visiting country on the UDRS being employed,” Lorgat observed.

“I am not a believer in deploying all technology. It’s still work in progress. At some stage, it will be mandatory. All technology has to be put in place.”