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Playing for Warne-Murali Trophy
Australia and Sri Lanka will play for the new Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, named after the two teams' and cricket's greatest wicket takers.
- Associated Press
- Updated: November 05, 2007 01:45 PM IST
Read Time:2 min
Brisbane:
Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne retired in January with a record 708 test wickets. Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan goes into the first test at the Gabba in Brisbane with 700, needing nine wickets to pass his rival's world mark.
"The announcement celebrates the 25th anniversary of Australia-Sri Lanka test cricket, with the silver trophy featuring casts of Warne and (Muralitharan's) right hands and match-used cricket balls bowled by both players during their careers," Cricket Australia said in a statement on Saturday.
Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Duleep Mendis said his team was "proud of the rivalry between our nation and Australia and think this trophy will help add to the sense of occasion every time we do battle."
Warne said Sri Lanka has always meant "something special to me."
"It was where I first achieved success as a test bowler and it also moved me when I saw the courage with which the people of Sri Lanka responded to the tragic tsunami during my visit there immediately afterwards," Warne said.
Muralitharan said he considers it a "great honor to have a trophy named after both of us."
The first test starts in Brisbane on Thursday and the second is in Hobart from Nov. 16-20, where Warne and Muralitharan will unveil the trophy.
Muralitharan has had problems in Australia in the past. Crowds have often yelled out "no-ball" in reference to his controversial bowling action on previous tours, he was called by umpires Darrell Hair and Ross Emerson for throwing in 1995-96 and 1998-99.
Muralitharan refused to tour Australia in 2004 after Prime Minister John Howard labeled him a "chucker."
His bowling action has since been cleared by the International Cricket Council.
Australia and Sri Lanka will play for the new Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, named after the two teams' and cricket's greatest wicket takers.Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne retired in January with a record 708 test wickets. Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan goes into the first test at the Gabba in Brisbane with 700, needing nine wickets to pass his rival's world mark.
"The announcement celebrates the 25th anniversary of Australia-Sri Lanka test cricket, with the silver trophy featuring casts of Warne and (Muralitharan's) right hands and match-used cricket balls bowled by both players during their careers," Cricket Australia said in a statement on Saturday.
Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Duleep Mendis said his team was "proud of the rivalry between our nation and Australia and think this trophy will help add to the sense of occasion every time we do battle."
Warne said Sri Lanka has always meant "something special to me."
"It was where I first achieved success as a test bowler and it also moved me when I saw the courage with which the people of Sri Lanka responded to the tragic tsunami during my visit there immediately afterwards," Warne said.
Muralitharan said he considers it a "great honor to have a trophy named after both of us."
The first test starts in Brisbane on Thursday and the second is in Hobart from Nov. 16-20, where Warne and Muralitharan will unveil the trophy.
Muralitharan has had problems in Australia in the past. Crowds have often yelled out "no-ball" in reference to his controversial bowling action on previous tours, he was called by umpires Darrell Hair and Ross Emerson for throwing in 1995-96 and 1998-99.
Muralitharan refused to tour Australia in 2004 after Prime Minister John Howard labeled him a "chucker."
His bowling action has since been cleared by the International Cricket Council.
Topics mentioned in this article
Cricket Shane Warne
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