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Murali named in Lankan squad for Aus
Sri Lanka's star spinner and world's highest Test wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan was today included in a 16-member squad to tour Australia.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:06 AM IST
Read Time: 2 min
Colombo:
Sri Lanka's star spinner and world's highest Test wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan was today included in a 16-member squad to tour Australia, but it was still not clear if he would play against the Aussies.
Marvan Atapattu will lead the 16-member team in the forthcoming series, a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket said here today.
Muralitharan, in a two-page statement, noted that Australian Prime minister John Howard had called him a "chucker" and in the next breath invited him to visit the country.
"I have been defamed, pilloried and severely criticised by the world's cricket media." Muralitharan said. "Even the Prime Minister of Australia has called me a chucker and then in the next sentence says I will be welcome to tour his country."
His statement outlined the tests he underwent at the University of Western Australia after he was reported for a suspect bowling action during Australia's tour of Sri Lanka this year.
Shortly after returning home last month from Zimbabwe, where he set the world record for the highest number of Test wickets, Muralitharan said pressure from Australia and England fuelled the ban on his controversial "doosra" delivery.
Sri Lanka last month set aside its bid to sue the International Cricket Council over its ban on Muralitharan's doosra delivery and instead plans to plead against its decision to outlaw it. (PTI)
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