Murali’s Flipper: Wiz says ‘NO’ to Oz tour

It will be hotly denied of course, but there is a view that there is far more to his decision not to tour than he is prepared to admit. His reasons not to tour go much deeper than the comment by Australian Premier John Howard that the off-spinner was a chucker when asked an opinion about the controversial doosra delivery, described as the off-spinner’s flipper. Nor are they linked to Chris Broad — whose report led to Murali undergoing tests in Perth recently — being the International Cricket Council’s match referee for the two-match series, though this and others are mentioned in Colombo’s English, Tamil and Sinhalese dailies.

What now emerges is a view that Australian batsmen, on their tour of this island earlier this year, found a way to master him. Though he ended up with 28 wickets at an average of 23, most of those wickets were from the middle and lower orders. Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, in particular, flourished in a series the tourists won with ease.

Also, his family feels that he needs a break and his mother has gone on record to suggest that. She is said to have advised him not to go, although he would be the last one to suggest that he has become a mama’s boy.

Former captain, Hashan Tillekeratne, felt all along that Murali would boycott the tour — but not for the reasons many felt. Tillekeratne, axed as Sri Lanka’s captain after the Australian series, felt the Kandy-born and St Anthony College educated bowler needed a break to get away from the pressure such a series would create. He has, say SLC insiders, been looking for a way out since becoming the highest Test wicket-taker with 527 wickets in the recent two-Test series against a Zimbabwe side that was incapable of defence. He went to England, it was said, to meet with former Lancashire teammates and to think out what he should do.

What has not helped is the confusion within Sri Lanka Cricket, which at first felt he should drop the doosra delivery and then made an about-turn and appealed to the ICC to reverse the decision.

REUTERS ADDS: In Melbourne, Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland called the decision ‘‘very disappointing’’ and pointed out that the past two weeks have seen two of the main draws lost. Shane Warne is out of the series with a broken hand.

‘‘There’s still a few weeks between now and the series starting’’, he said. ‘‘So perhaps where there is light or there is time, there is hope. But he’s obviously been thinking about it for a while. I don’t think there’s a lot really we can do.’’