The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka unreservedly condemns Mr. Michael Holding's unwarranted, and irresponsible allegations that are clearly intended to cast doubts over Mr. Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling action.

Mr. Holding is reported to have said that he agrees with Mr. Bishen Bedi's recent comments which alleged that Mr. Muralitharan's bowling action is illegal.

The BCCSL has already taken up the matter of Mr. Holding's comments with the International Cricket Council, since Mr. Holding is an Advisor on Bowling to the ICC.

However, since Mr. Holding has made his comments very publicly, and since these comments are harmful to the game of cricket as a whole, the BCCSL is obligated to issue this public statement.

Mr. Holding's comments are a deliberate insult to his predecessors on the ICC's Advisory Panel On Illegal Deliveries, who investigated Mr. Muralitharan's action in 1999, and found that it did not violate the laws of cricket.

It is strange that Mr. Bedi's and Mr. Holding's comments were made ten years after Mr. Muralitharan began playing international cricket, during which time he has captured 408 Test wickets and is at present playing his 73rd Test match. Mr. Muralitharan is currently the seventh highest wicket taker in the history of the game of cricket, and was the fastest and youngest to reach 400 wickets. It is also a strange coincidence that these comments have been made in the run up to the ICC Champions' Trophy Tournament to be held in September, and the World Cup in March 2003.

In contrast to Mr. Holding's and Mr. Bedi's remarks, the great Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, who is Mr. Muralitharan's contemporary and is currently the second highest wicket taker in Tests with 436 wickets, was quoted on Thursday as saying in an interview that Mr. Muralitharan is likely to end his career with a thousand Test wickets.

No less a person than Sunil Gavaskar, arguably one of the finest cricketers ever, recently named Muralitharan as "the greatest spinner of all time…, truly a special cricketer…, and a truly wonderful ambassador of the game."

The cricketing world is aware that the allegations regarding Mr. Muralitharan's bowling action have long since been put to rest, after a thorough investigation by the governing body of world cricket.

In May 1999, the ICC Advisory Panel on Illegal Deliveries pronounced that it had examined Mr. Muralitharan's bowling action and found that there was no straightening of his arm. This Panel comprised members from South Africa, Pakistan, India, England, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, New Zealand and Australia.

The University of Western Australia in March 1999 used an extremely sophisticated analysis system and found that Mr. Muralitharan's arm has a structural abnormality which does not allow him to extend his arm fully.

The Hugh Williamson Gait Analysis Laboratory in January 1999 also examined Mr. Muralitharan and made similar findings.

As the world is well aware, no umpire has called Mr. Muralitharan for throwing since these reports were compiled. This is despite his playing before umpires in South Africa, Pakistan, England, Zimbabwe, India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Volumes could be written on Mr. Muralitharan's achievements on the field. Among his achievements, he was named CEAT International Cricketer of the Year 2000/01, and he had the distinction of representing Lancashire County Cricket Club.

© BCCSL