Story of how Murali betrayed motherland
Several incidents which contribute to changing the respectful and unblemished feelings that the Sri Lankans had with regard to world-renown cricketer Muralitharan produced by Sri Lanka has been reported by now.
Muralitharan who assumed the position of a bowling advisor of the touring Australian team had come
with the Australian players to the Pallekele Grounds day-before-yesterday (12) afternoon for a coaching process. A scene where the Manager of the Sri Lanka Cricket Team, Mr. Charith Senanayaka was reprimanded on that occasion has been the root cause of the incident concerned. Manager Charith had complained to Sri Lanka Cricket that the turf had been prepared in a manner conducive to the Australians on the three-day (18 - 20) game played at the Colombo Saravanamuttu Grounds according to the wishes of Muralitharan and on that occasion Murali had questioned him on the grounds in that connection which ultimately finished with an exchange of words.Subsequently Murali had come to the grounds accompanied by the Australian players and had engaged in coaching activities without any permission whatsoever, Charith had made an accusation. Manager Charith who had lost his temper over this situation had brought this to the notice of the authorities and the media. What the Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, Thilanga Sumathipala had yesterday said was that he is sad about Murali's comportment and that he would be notifying this to the Australian Cricket Control Board. Thilanga Sumathipala has on this occasion stated that the Cricket Institute took action to rescue Murali in instances where he faced problems in the past and that though there is no problem where his position as a coach on a professional level is concerned, nevertheless a problem pertaining to ethics does exist. Thilanga has also added that Murali had at the tournament of the Warne - Murali Trophy exclaimed the inference of 'ours' and under such circumstances as to what extent his ethics could be adjudged in the case of coaching Australian bowlers to contest us, which point he says should be enquired into.
In the meantime on an inquiry made by the Divaina Newspaper, Muralitharan who has expressed his opinion in this respect had this to say: "What I do is a duty ... because nobody from Sri Lanka Cricket has invited me to do this. The Australians called me and gave me a chance. But because I didn't like to be engaged as a coach on a long-term basis I agreed to undertake that assignment for 2 weeks. Even before this I have worked as an advisor for the Australian team on a short-term basis. Not only that, even at the IPL Tournament I do this same job. Even in the future I am prepared to accept any country. It's after considering the skills of Warne and myself that this name has been given and for a long period of time. Though circumstances are such, there's no connection between that and the work I am engaged in as such. In reality I didn't pay attention about the cricket in the country for the past 5 years. I even don't know what happened in the local tournaments. But there are good coaches in Sri Lanka. There's no dearth of spin-bowlers in our country. But the weakness lies in the selectors who choose them".