eLanka

Saturday, 4 Oct 2025
  • Home
  • Read History
  • Articles
    • eLanka Journalists
  • Events
  • Useful links
    • Obituaries
    • Seeking to Contact
    • eLanka Newsletters
    • eLanka Testimonials
    • Sri Lanka Newspapers
    • Sri Lanka TV LIVE
    • Sri Lanka Radio
    • eLanka Recepies
  • Gallery
  • Contact
Newsletter
  • eLanka Weddings
  • Property
  • eLanka Shop
  • Business Directory
eLankaeLanka
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Read History
  • Articles
    • eLanka Journalists
  • Events
  • Useful links
    • Obituaries
    • Seeking to Contact
    • eLanka Newsletters
    • eLanka Testimonials
    • Sri Lanka Newspapers
    • Sri Lanka TV LIVE
    • Sri Lanka Radio
    • eLanka Recepies
  • Gallery
  • Contact
Follow US
© 2005 – 2025 eLanka Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Home » Blog » Articles » ‘No one else will get to 800, Lyon is not good enough’ – by Michael Vaughan
Articles

‘No one else will get to 800, Lyon is not good enough’ – by Michael Vaughan

eLanka admin
Last updated: January 16, 2021 6:39 am
By
eLanka admin
ByeLanka admin
Follow:
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

‘No one else will get to 800, Lyon is not good enough’ – by Michael Vaughan

Muutiah Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets in a brilliant career.CREDIT:RAY KENNEDY

Source:SMH

Muttiah Muralitharan retired with 800 Test wickets and, as someone who provided him with seven of those, it feels right to ask him why he thinks there is a dearth of spin in the modern game.

More Read

Nova Peris-eLanka
Nova Peris & Her Roots: Any Sri Lankan Links?-by Michael Roberts
SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS – SEPTEMBER 2025
Former Indian state cricketer, Nikhil Chaudhary is turning head in Australian domestic cricket for Tasmania in Season 2025-26

Batting is hard right now in Test cricket but apart from India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon of Australia (more on him later, Murali is not a fan) it definitely feels as though pace, not spin, is the real weapon these days.

When I played, it felt as though we had to contend with both great fast bowling and mystery spinners, such as Murali. But where is the next Murali or Saqlain Mushtaq?

“The problem in Test cricket is that Twenty20s and one-day internationals have changed the dynamics,” says Murali, talking from his home in Colombo before the start of England’s Test series against Sri Lanka.

“When I played, the batsmen were technically so good and wickets were flat; now, they try to finish matches in three days.

“The bowlers in my day had to do extra work to get spin and do something magic to get results. Nowadays, if you bowl line and length over a period of time, you will get five wickets. It is guaranteed because batsmen cannot stay for long without attacking.

“You have a better chance of taking wickets, which is why spinners only have to set the field properly, bowl line and length and let the pitches and batsmen do the rest. Spinners used to have to work hard for wickets, which is why they worked hard on developing other deliveries.

“Now they do that in T20 cricket instead. They bowl different variations because batsmen are coming after them. But in Test cricket you don’t need to do it.”

Will we see another golden age of Test spin bowling? Will a spinner reach 700 or 800 wickets? “Ashwin [who has 377 Test wickets] has a chance because he is a great bowler,” says Murali. “Other than that, I don’t think any younger bowler coming in will go to 800. Maybe Nathan Lyon is not good enough to reach it. He is close to 400 [396] but he has had to play many, many matches to get there.”

Murali no longer has any involvement in Sri Lankan cricket. He works as bowling coach with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, and spends the rest of his time running his aluminium canning business in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan cricket has been in a mess and it is striking how few of the legends are involved in the game. Murali will be watching the series against England, which begins on Thursday (AEDT), on television, while Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are media pundits.

Murali celebrates one of his 800 wickets.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES

“You know the politics of the cricket board and recently we have had too many players and too many captains,” says Murali. “I remember when I started, Arjuna [Ranatunga] captained for about 10 years, then after that Sanath [Jayasuriya] for four years, then Mahela and Sanga.

“In my career, I had four or five captains in a 20-year period, but these days we have a captain for six months and then they change. If you want to be successful, you have to have a leader players respect. It is not because of the [lack of] talent, but because we have no leaders and do not play together as a team.

“We are like Pakistan. We have so much talent but after one bad innings we fight each other. This is the most difficult time for Sri Lanka cricket.

“They have not been together for five or six years. Everyone pulls in different directions. It is a shame because, if we did pull together, we have a lot of talented cricketers.

Nathan Lyon and Muttiah Muralitharan.

“We need a leader for at least four years: one coach from World Cup to World Cup. They are changing coaches every two years, so there is no clear message to the younger players. Those are the mistakes and why our cricket is on a different plane.

“We should have done better in South Africa recently, but Sri Lanka will put up a good fight [against England]. As a team, England is better than Sri Lanka, but home advantage and spin-friendly wickets help. England have their noses in front but that might change.”

 

TAGGED:Muttiah Muralitharan
Share This Article
Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Presley Polonnowita – an outstanding cricketer from Kurunegala
Next Article England cricket fan who waited 10 months for SL v Eng Test gets kicked out
FacebookLike
YoutubeSubscribe
LinkedInFollow
Most Read
10 Pictures With Fascinating Stories Behind Them!

“A PICTURE SPEAKS A 1000 WORDS” – By Des Kelly

Look past your thoughts so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment

A Life Hack for when we’re Burnt Out & Broken Down – By Uma Panch

Narration of the History of our Proud Ancestral (Orang Jawa) Heritage. by Noor R. Rahim

eLanka Weddings

eLanka Marriage Proposals

Noel News

Noel News

Noel News

Noel News- By Noel Whittaker

EILEEN MARY SIBELLE DE SILVA (nee DISSANAYAKE) – 29 September 1922 – 6 April 2018 – A Woman of Value an Appreciation written by Mohini Gunasekera

K.K.S. Cement Factory

Dr.Harold Gunatillake’s 90th Birthday party

Sri Lanka's women's cricket squad in Melbourne

Cricket: Sri Lanka’s women’s squad in Melbourne

- Advertisement -
Ad image
Related News
In Loving Memory of David Jonklaas (09 Sep 1942 – 30 Sep 2025) - 2
Articles Obituaries

In Loving Memory of David Jonklaas (09 Sep 1942 – 30 Sep 2025)

Imtiaz
Articles Dr Harold Gunatillake

In Loving Memory of Imtiaz Issadeen – A Visionary Leader, Scholar, and Beloved Friend – By Dr Harold Gunatillake

Articles

LCC MEDIA RELEASE – Liverpool’s Starry Sari Night – where cultures shine together

Articles

LCC MEDIA RELEASE: Dear Belly: you need an appetite for the arts at Liverpool

Potential Reactions of Benjamin Netanyahu to the Establishment of a Palestinian State
Articles Dr Harold Gunatillake

Potential Reactions of Benjamin Netanyahu to the Establishment of a Palestinian State – Dr Harold Gunatillake

  • Quick Links:
  • Articles
  • DESMOND KELLY
  • Dr Harold Gunatillake
  • English Videos
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sinhala Videos
  • eLanka Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Tamil Videos
  • Dr. Harold Gunatillake
  • Sunil Thenabadu
  • Sinhala Movies
  • Trevine Rodrigo
  • Michael Roberts
  • Photos

eLanka

Your Trusted Source for News & Community Stories: Stay connected with reliable updates, inspiring features, and breaking news. From politics and technology to culture, lifestyle, and events, eLanka brings you stories that matter — keeping you informed, engaged, and connected 24/7.
Kerrie road, Oatlands , NSW 2117 , Australia.
Email : info@eLanka.com.au / rasangivjes@gmail.com.
WhatsApp : +61402905275 / +94775882546

(c) 2005 – 2025 eLanka Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.