Sri Lanka pace bowler Lasith Malinga ripped through the England batting line-up with four wickets as the former champions handed the favourites a 20-run defeat in a low-scoring World Cup match.
Retired Sri Lankan spin-wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was the star attraction when players representing various Airtel Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) franchise teams attended a coaching clinic at a school in Parkmore, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara might find the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings system flawed but the country's retired spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan feels it is alright and India are a deserving number one in the Test Championship.
Calling retired spin great Muttiah Muralitharan's outburst against his long-time detractor Bishen Singh Bedi a perfect "parting shot", former Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu said that the iconic bowler brilliantly timed his verbal attack on the Indian.
At the receiving end of a scathing attack from Muttiah Muralitharan, his long-time detractor Bishen Singh Bedi on Wednesday hit back at the Sri Lankan spin great by maintaining that he is indeed a "chucker".
Showering praise on retired Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, former Australian captain Steve Waugh on Monday said there was no racist angle involved in chucking allegations which the bowler had faced earlier.
Sri Lanka will be little the wiser on Monday over their long-range World Cup prospects after a 210-run demolition of Canada.
Barely a few days into retirement and there is something in Test cricket that Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muraliatharan is already missing - bowling to Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar.
Paying glowing tributes to Muttiah Muralitharan, former India captain Sourav Ganguly said the Sri Lankan spin legend is more accurate and has more variations, so tougher to face.
Former Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble called Sri Lankan off-break bowler Muttiah Muralitharan's feat of claiming 800 wickets in Test cricket on Thursday, as an 'unparalleled' achievement which would take a long time and uncommon skill to be filliped.
Prodigious spin propelled by an abnormally strong wrist and an iron resolve forged in bitter acrimony over his unique action took Muttiah Muralitharan to unprecedented heights in world cricket.
Statistical highlights of the fifth day of the first cricket Test between India and Sri Lanka in Galle on Thursday.
Legendary bowlers Shane Warne and Wasim Akram are of the opinion that no bowler can match, or even come close, to Muttiah Muralitharan's amazing achievement of 800 Test wickets.
Muttiah Muralitharan, with the wicket of Yuvraj Singh in the first innings, completed his 100 wickets against India. He is the first bowler in Test history to accomplish this feat.
Veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has invited Indian orthopaedic surgeon and former medical consultant to the Sri Lankan team Mandeep Singh Dhillon to witness his swansong Test against India in Galle.
ustralian spin legend Shane Warne has given a clean chit to Muttiah Muralitharan's action, saying he did not think the retiring Sri Lankan tweaker was a chucker.
Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday posed faith in his teammates to repeat the 1996 World Cup winning feat as the strong sub-continental contenders geared up for the quadrennial extravaganza.
Sri Lanka eased to a 26-run victory in the third one-dayer against West Indies to wrap up the series 2-0 on Sunday.
The Australian umpire, who called off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for chucking, does not believe that the Sri Lankan deserves to retire as the most prolific Test wicket-taker of all time.
Muttiah Muralitharan, the highest wicket-taker in ODIs and Test cricket, is all set to make a surprise farewell tour of Australia. He also declared his intentions to play the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent.
Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on Tuesday said that he will miss his previous IPL team Chennai Super Kings and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni but is excited to play for Kochi franchisee, the new entrants in the Twenty20 league.
Echoing national selection committee chairman MSK Prasad's words, former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday said Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha is ahead of Parthiv Patel in race to play Test cricket.
Sri Lanka have named Tillakaratne Dilshan as captain after deciding to rest several senior players for their tri-series in Zimbabwe in June. Normal captain Kumar Sangakkara, vice-captain Muttiah Muralitharan, former captain Mahela Jayawardene and fast bowler Lasith Malinga were all rested for the three-nation tournament.
Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi, who never misses an opportunity to take a dig at Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh, has once again lashed out at the two premier off-spinners.
Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on Monday made it clear he will continue to play cricket for another three years as he felt fit enough to feature in Indian Premier League and English county circuit.
Middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh will soon rediscover his touch and play an important role for India in the next year's World Cup in the sub-continent, feels legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
Sri Lanka's campaign in the Twenty20 World Cup on Monday suffered a blow with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan being ruled out of the entire tournament due to a groin strain.
Highly impressed with Virender Sehwag's pyrotechnics, former England cricketer Derek Pringle has rated the dashing Indian opener as the greatest batsman of the decade.
Sri Lankan cricket team was on Wednesday hit by an injury crisis after off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and pacer Dilhara Fernando were ruled out of the ongoing one-day series against India due to finger injuries.
The dreaded duo of Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan will be missing from the Sri Lankan bowling attack but Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday said their absence does not make his batsmen's job any easy in the second cricket Test starting in Colombo on Monday.
With the individual brilliance of just-retired Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga missing, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said his team will have to build bowling partnerships to trouble the Indians in the second cricket Test starting in Colombo on Monday.
The Indian team practised hard at Colombo on Saturday to ensure the mistakes made at Galle aren't repeated.
Sri Lanka suffered a big jolt ahead of the second cricket Test against India as paceman Lasith Malinga was on Saturday ruled out due to a stiff knee.
Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara on Thursday said any effort to find another Muttiah Murailtharan would prove futile as world cricket will never see a bowler like the fascinating off-spinner.
Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan has said that he was shocked when umpire Darrell Hair called him seven times in three overs for his action in 1995.
Muttiah Muralitharan went past 800 wickets to help Sri Lanka crush India by an emphatic ten-wicket margin on the fifth and final day of the first Test in Galle on Wednesday. Tillakaratne Dilshan slammed 68 from 47 balls, having hit six boundaries and a six, while Tharanga Paranavitana was unbeaten on 23 as Sri Lanka raced to 96 for no loss in 14.1 overs.
Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss said his players are hoping that retiring spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will bow out of the five-day game with a victory by producing another memorable performance on Thursday, the fifth day of the first Test against India, in Galle.
Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on Friday said Australia does not have enough fire in its bowling unit, which is the reason for its extended poor run and may also dent chances in the upcoming Ashes series against England.
Muttiah Muralitharan's superb bowling kept Sri Lanka on course for an innings victory over India on Day 4 of the first Test in Galle on Wednesday. The wily spinner, playing his final Test, took five for 63 in the first innings and then claimed the wicket of Yuvraj Singh (5) in the second innings with the final delivery of the day to put the Lankans high in the saddle. He now needs just two wickets to breach the magical 800-wicket mark in Test cricket.
Images from the opening day of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka in Galle, on Sunday.
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