da prosport bet： Bruce Elliott, the biomechanics professor in charge of assessing MuttiahMuralitharan’s doosra, has criticised the Sri Lankan board for jumpingthe gun and partially leaking the results of Muralitharan’s tests to themedia, a move which he believes
Charlie Austin26-Apr-2004
Muttiah Muralitharan: will the ICC allow him to continue with his doosra?© Getty Images
Bruce Elliott, the biomechanics expert in charge of assessing MuttiahMuralitharan’s doosra, has criticised the Sri Lankan board for jumpingthe gun and partially leaking the results of Muralitharan’s tests to themedia, a move which he believes confused the issue and put pressure on the ICC.”By leaking little bits of information at different stages it has put a lotof pressure on the ICC, as well as on Murali and us,” Elliott told SydneyMorning Herald. “The ICC has basically been pushed into a corner and had toreact to information contained in the report before they had even receivedit.”Because of the leaks, public perception would be that our findings wereabout accommodating Murali. But that is not the case. There are many fingerspinners straightening [their arm] more than five degrees, not just Murali.”Perhaps after reading our findings, the ICC might increase it up to tendegrees for spinners or maybe they’ll say, ‘Let’s stay with five until weget a database of findings into spinners.’ Maybe it will be five degrees forwrist spinners and 10 degrees for finger spinners bowling a doosra. Thepoint is that we have made our suggestions and it is now for the ICC todecide.”The Sri Lanka board tried to keep the results secret until thereport had been forwarded to the ICC, but an unnamed source made thatimpossible by partially leaking the results – which confirmed that Muralitharan’sarm straightened when bowling the doosra – to Sunday Times in Colombo.The Sri Lankan officials were pushed on the defensive and a few days later, afterthe receipt of the report, Mohan de Silva, Sri Lanka Cricket’s president,told the media: “I am confident that he [Muralitharan] should be able tobowl the doosra.” But attempts at damage limitation only heightened global speculation.When the suggestions of the scientists, who had recommended that the currenttolerance levels should be increased for spinners, were also leaked, itprompted accusations from some quarters that the University of WesternAustralia was pushing for a rule change just to accommodate Muralitharan.The ICC felt compelled to make a statement clarifying the issue,in which they made it clear that they were not about to change the rules. They also indicated that if Muralitharan’s doosra was illegal then he could face a possible 12-month ban if he was reported again.”These current levels of tolerance are based on expert advice that suggests,beyond a certain level, bowlers will gain an unfair advantage,” MalcolmSpeed, the ICC’s chief executive, said in the statement. “As recently aslast September, the ICC reviewed these levels and all countries were inagreement that the current standards should remain in place.”Since then the report has been forwarded to the ICC and Sri Lanka Crickethas insisted that, contrary to the interpretation of the ICC statement bymany media institutions, the ICC has not yet outlawed the doosra.Nevertheless, Muralitharan has been advised not to bowl the delivery for thetime being.