Sydney, Feb 17 (IANS) Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan is as famous for his doosra as for his enchanting smile and blame it on dentist Peter Foltyn for his missing grin these days. A local teeth re-positioning expert Foltyn conducted a minor surgery on Muralitharan after his front tooth was knocked back into his mouth following a hit by the ball while fielding during the Lankans’ first outing at the Commonwealth Bank tri-seriers against Australia Feb 8 here.

Evading public notice, Muralitharan was whisked to St Vincent’s Hospital after the first session of the match, where Foltyn, who was enjoying his weekend at home, received a SOS to conduct the operation. The spinner later returned to the ground to bat.

“I was peeling potatoes when I got the call from the SCG. It was fortunate that I was available almost immediately,” Dr. Foltyn was quoted as saying in ‘The Daily Telegraph’.

“It took me about 10 minutes to get to St Vincent’s Hospital by car and Muralitharan was getting there as I arrived.”

Foltyn repositioned and splinted Muralitharan’s wayward tooth. However, the spinner was not prescribed any drugs, which would have forced him to miss the remainder of the match.

“He (Muralitharan) struck me as a very polite and humble person. We chatted light-heartedly, but obviously he was there for a reason,” the doctor said.