Murali: T-20 is saviour of Test cricket

Chennai, April 15: Muttiah Muralitharan today lent unconditional support to Twenty-20 format saying it has come to stay and is the “saviour” of the Test match cricket.

At a Media conference here this morning after a strenuous practice session with the Chennai Super Kings team, Muralitharan, who has 735 wickets from just 120 Tests and 464 scalps from 309 ODIs, opined that T-20 is the future face of cricket and he had no qualms in accepting the fact.

“However, as any cricketer would tell you, Test cricket if the ultimate. But these days, not many people can spare five days to watch a Test match. They need entertainment and that is what T-20 is all about,” he said.

Muralitharan did not endorse the view that the T-20 format has marginalized the role of spinners and on the contrary, he pointed out that the same held for the batsmen who have little time to settle in.

“I feel, spinners can and will play a big role in T-20. After all, the spinner stands a chance since the batsmen would be looking to play strokes. If you have the right strategy, then, it is quite possible to take wickets. But you also need to be a good spinner to make an impact,” observed Muralitharan who turns 36 on April 17.

As if to emphasise the point, he referred to his own performance with Lancashire saying he had a role to play in the team’s victories.

“I have not played much of T-20, but during my days with Lancashire, I thought I did pretty well. So, I feel, spinners can play a crucial role in this format,” he said.

Muralitharan has taken two wickets in the only T-20 international at an economy rate of 6.75, besides eight other games in which he took 17 wickets, conceding 5.37 runs an over.

When asked whether playing for a club side would provide the same level of motivation and intensity as when representing the country, Muralitharan reiterated that like any professional cricketer, he would be playing to win the match.

“We are all professional cricketers and as such, would love to win matches. That’s the way we were brought up and we will be doing our best to win the tournament,” he said.

Muralitharan pointed out that his link to Chennai through marriage and also being a Tamil himself were motivational factors to him.

“My wife is from Chennai and I am a Tamil myself. So, I feel it is an honour to represent a Chennai team and I feel motivated,” he said.

Looking ahead to the Indian Premier League tournament, Murali opined: “All the teams appear good since they all have the World’s best players. As for Chennai Super Kings, we have Mahendra Singh Dhoni as our captain. He has been lucky (in winning the Test match at Kanpur, the T-20 World Cup and the CB tri-series in Australia). I do hope he will prove lucky for our team (Chennai Super Kings).”