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Murali forgives ex-PM but subcontinent will challenge

Muthiah Muralidaran has forgiven John Howard for calling him a chucker but says the former prime minister faces a challenge to win over the subcontinent when he assumes the post of International Cricket Council president in 2012.

Thursday, Mar 04, 2010 | 227 Views | Comments [View/Post]

The veteran Sri Lankan off-spinner, who has taken more wickets than any player, infamously refused to tour Australiawith Sri Lankain 2004 after having his action questioned by Howard and having previously been the subject of ‘‘no-ball’’ chants from Australian crowds.

The then prime minister had been asked at a function whether Muralidaran threw the ball and replied: ‘‘Yes. They proved it in Perthtoo, with that thing’’, a reference to scientific analysis at the University of Western Australia.

Muralidaran, 37, said his feud with Howard was ‘‘all finished’’ but noted that the subcontinent and all-important Asian bloc of the ICC may need more convincing

‘‘At the time I thought it was wrong - that was my opinion and he had his,’’ he told the Age.’’It was not appropriate at the time but it’s all [in the] past.

‘‘We’ve got to think about the future: how is he going to handle things in cricket? It won’t be an easy job. He has to convince the subcontinent - that’s going to be a tough challenge for him.’’

Muralidaran stood by his decision not to tour Australia but with his career coming to a close - he will retire from Test cricket at the end of 2010 - he said time had tempered his resentment.

‘‘At the time Sri Lankans all supported me so that’s why I stayed back,’’ he said. ‘‘But things pass … I tell him ‘all the best in 2012’. Anybody can make mistakes; we are all human, life goes on. You don’t get a second chance so you’ve got to forget and forgive people.’’

Howard later apologised for his comments, Muralidaran said, and the two were seen to make up when the spinner took part in the Asian tsunami relief match at the MCG in January 2005.

Howard’s nomination as the Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket candidate to serve as ICC president from 2012 was welcomed by Australian captain Ricky Ponting who said Howard would ‘‘do a terrific job for world cricket’’.

‘‘He gets my congratulations and he gets the congratulations of the team,’’ Ponting said in Napier.

‘‘It’s great that someone of his standing wants the job. It can’t hurt the ICC to have someone of his ilk in the position he’s going to be in. It’s not about Australia, it’s not about anybody else, it’s just about the global game and I’m sure he’ll do a good job in that role. It’s good news for cricket.’’

A self-proclaimed cricket tragic, Howard has long voiced his passion for the game. Ponting believes his love for cricket, particularly Tests, was not contrived for political purposes.

‘‘It was genuine,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve seen him at even more games since he finished as prime minister [in 2007] to tell you the truth. The Sydney Test this year, I think he sat in the box and watched nearly every ball. No one could ever say that his passion for cricket isn’t real.’’



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