Muttiah Muralitharan - A smiling assassin who polarised world opinion

Google Muttiah Muralitharan for images and the vast majority of the search results would be of him smiling. Bizarrely, even ‘Muttiah Muralitharan angry’ searches present ‘smiling’ images. Yet, for a guy filled with so much joie de vivre, Muralitharan still remains one of cricket’s most polarising figures.

While his cherubic nature won him fans world over barring Australia, many purists still condemn him for his action and do not value his records — 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI sticks (both achievements unsurpassed by anyone). Although Muralitharan went through great pains to prove he did not deliberately gain any illegal advantage and the excessive bend in his arm was due to a deformed elbow, some pundits till date belittle his achievements. However, to all Sri Lankans he is still a cult hero who gave birth to a new generation of mystery spinners.

Born to a Tamil confectionary family in Kandy on this day in 1972, Muralitharan first came into the spotlight during a tour game in 1992-93 with even Australian great Allan Border struggling to pick him. He was cricket’s first wrist-spinning off-spinner and that novelty itself bamboozled many batsmen.

Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga fast-tracked him into international cricket and very soon Muralitharan became a hot topic of discussion. Australian umpire Darrell Hair no-balled Muralitharan seven times in the 1995 Melbourne Test and ten days later Ross Emerson no-balled him repeatedly in an ODI. The harsh Aussie crowd shouted ‘no-ball’ every time Muralitharan fronted up to bowl.

Filled with tigerish resolve and backed to the hilt by Ranatunga, Muralitharan used all those adversities into stepping stones of success. The crowning moment came in the 1996 World Cup where he played a decent role in Sri Lanka emerging champions, slaying none other than nemesis Australia in the final.

Muralitharan then went on to become the backbone of the Sri Lankan side, often running through sides on spin-friendly pitches at home. He was no slouch on pace friendly surfaces either and gained a reputation for having the ability to turn the ball even on the flattest of pitches, all thanks to his unique action.

Muralitharan remains one of the brightest stars to emerge from Sri Lanka.