Muralidaran backs Hauritz to fire for Aussies in Ashes series
October 25th, 2010 - 1:40 pm ICT by ANI
Sydney, Oct 25(ANI): Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralidaran believes that his Australian counterpart Nathan Hauritz can bounce back from his disastrous tour of India to bowl his team to an Ashes victory.
Hauritz was ineffective against Indian batsmen in the Tests, averaging 65 for his six wickets. He also went wicketless in Australia’s five-wicket defeat in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam.
Muralidaran defended Hauritz’s disappointing returns saying that India is an extremely difficult place to bowl spin.
“I think he has done well on the recent Indian tour, it’s a hard place to get figures there, (especially) for a spinner because the Indians play spin so well. But you can’t just let him go because of one or two matches,” Fox Sports quoted Muralidaran, as saying.
“You have to give him another opportunity and see. The Ashes is a big thing for Australia and you need your best starting XI, so if he doesn’t make it that’s up to the selectors.”
“He’s a good bowler and proven in the past he can take wickets. The mentality [between Sri Lanka and Australia] is different because we go with spin most of the time, and Australia go with fast bowlers, so it really is up to selectors,” he added.
While all eyes are on the Ashes, Muralidaran and the Sri Lankans are not treating their ODI series as a support act.
Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara said that Australia were always tough to beat on home soil and expected “nothing less than playing the best in the world”. (ANI)
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- Ex-Aussie cricketers slam selectors for ignoring 'in-form' Hauritz - Dec 12, 2010
- Tait says 'reverse swing' to be Oz bowlers' weapon during World Cup - Jan 19, 2011
- Hauritz resists Ponting's push for change in bowling style - Nov 03, 2010
- Doherty 'basically shafted' by selectors despite being economical: Bailey - Jan 18, 2011
- Bowlers like Warne, Kumble come once every three or four generations: Muralidaran - Nov 05, 2010
- Cricket Australia manages coup, ropes in Muralidaran for guest spin coach role - Feb 08, 2011
Tags: aussies, counterpart, fast bowlers, fox sports, home soil, indian batsmen, indians, mentality, muttiah muralidaran, nathan hauritz, odi series, sangakkara, selectors, spinner, sri lankan, sri lankans, support act, visakhapatnam, wicket, wickets