No one ever just retires anymore. They are always set to retire.
And Murali is set.
Sources close to him have set him, and so have the Sri Lankan website, so it can’t be long before he confirms that the Galle test against India is his last.
Murali has been slipping for a while now, in 09 he averaged 46 in test matches, which for someone as machine like as him had to be a sign.
He can still bowl, but test cricket might just be a touch too far for the 38 year old.
8 wickets are what he needs to be the first bowler to 800 wickets. If he gets there it will be an amazing last test considering his recent test form.
As for me, I never truly warmed to Murali.
I was there when he was first called.
While I appreciate his ability to bowl so many overs and the size of his eyes, no one else is allowed to bowl with that action. And that bothers me.
Most of the shit wasn’t his fault anyway, the dude just did his job, others campaigned for and against him, and he was used to change a flawed system for the better, even if it is still not perfect.
I already get the feeling that this will set off the debate on Warne Vs Murali, which will probably end up as boring as it is pointless.
Murali may not have been my favourite cricketer, but politics and elbows aside what a servant he was for Sri Lanka.
Some days it felt like he would bowl unchanged for the entire day, add to that living through the whole chucking shit, the boy had guts, so I may not love him, but I do respect him.
