With Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne's career on the line after undergoing extensive surgery on his bowling arm, why not?
The Sri Lankan off-spinner has not received the accolades he deserves on the international scene despite proving to take wickets time and again and baffling the opposition both at home and abroad. His bowling action was questioned in Australia three years ago, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) are quite satisfied that it is legitimate. But still, Muralitharan is not talked about by cricketers in the international circuit in the same breath as Warne, Mushtaq Ahmed or Saqlain Mushtaq.
Saqlain at 21, has his best years ahead of him, but as long as Pakistan have the leg-spin of Mushtaq Ahmed (who is struggling to overcome a knee injury), he will not find a place in the Test bowling line-up which is dominated by pace. Thus, Saqlain has only the one-day game to prove himself. He has not done badly in that category, becoming the youngest to take a hundred wickets.
``Muralitharan's ability is well-known in the county. Some years ago, while playing club cricket in the area, he attended nets at the Leicestershire headquarters and was asked to show how far he could spin the ball. To the amazement of onlookers, it hit the side of the net after pitching, having turned almost 90 degrees,'' said 'The Times'.
Muralitharan has already been approached by Leicestershire to play county cricket next season after the World Cup tournament.
'The Times' described Muralitharan and Saqlain as the two prime exponents of twirl in England this summer and feared their extinction, just as leg-spinners 15 years ago.
Saqlain has been the driving force in Surrey's attempt to win the English county championships for the first time since 1971. The county are the current leaders in the race for the title and Saqlain has no doubt played a significant part having taken over fifty wickets for them this season, a great portion of them at the Foster's Oval, the home of Surrey cricket.
Muralitharan already has 18 wickets (avg. 13.50) from two first-class matches on the tour and heads the bowling averages for the season.
On Monday, Saqlain took a match bag of 11 for 104 against Sussex, to bring Surrey their seventh win in 12 championships matches and open up a 42-point lead over nearest rivals Gloucestershire.
Saqlain's success at the Foster's Oval, will no doubt make Muralitharan lick his fingers in glee. For it is at this venue that Sri Lanka will play England in the one-off Test starting on August 27, and Muralitharan will no doubt feature heavily in it.
The success of Saqlain has stimulated much dressing room chatter of a mystery ball.
To be successful, off-spinners must be able to disguise the arm ball, the one that goes straight on after pitching instead of turning to leg. However, Saqlain has also mastered a delivery that turns from leg to off (as delivered by a leg-spinner) with no discernible change in action.
``It is a formidable weapon that John Emburey, the Northamptonshire coach, believes makes Saqlain unique among finger spinners in his 25 years as a professional,'' 'The Times' said.
Muralitharan claims that he bowls the same delivery as Saqlain. But whether he does bowl it as successfully as Saqlain is another thing. Nevertheless, Muralitharan has the opportunity of gaining further knowledge on the intricacies of off-spin bowling, when Sri Lanka go to Northampton for two one-day matches on Friday and Sunday.