Finally Murali Equals the Record with Akram

It is always lonely at the top. When Gavaskar had scored 10000 runs and the highest number of records, and the records continued to stand in his name for a long time, Gavaskar had commented that the summit is indeed a lonely place. Wasim Akram must also be wondering the same as it had been years since he had scalped 502 wickets and his record was neither being equaled nor being overhauled.

Murali has now reached the magic figures of 502, and along with Wasim Akram has become the highest wicket taker in the ODI cricket. Two is a good company. The achievement of Murali is more valuable as he was able to equal the record with Akram only in 327 matches at an average of 22.66. Akram could reach this figure in 356 games, and from this perspective the achievement of Murali is more creditable as he still has quite a lot of cricket left in him.

The records were equaled at Colombo on 04 February 2009 and had it not been for the murderous assault that Yuri Singh and Virender Sewage made of the Sri Lankan bowlers, the achievement would have been called for celebration. Even then, Yuvraj Singh was among the first to congratulate Murali for his achievement.

Murali is one bowler whose career has been a journey that has been studded with miles and milestones; there is no other bowler in sight who can equal the achievements of Murali in near future. His achievement becomes more creditable when the weapon of assault i.e. the bat is undergoing all kinds of formulations to make it heavy, and the field of action i.e. the cricket field is also reducing in dimension, sort of murderous cocktail for a bowler. Murali has age on his side; he is fit agile and only 36 years young.

The joy and expectation of claiming a scalp through the miasma that he weaves with his wrist and commands the bowl to obey him is reflected in the sparkle in his eyes and the aura that they reflect. Whatever the situation, his eyes always keep on smiling and this is what endears him to the players all over the world. When the country, to which he belongs, Sri Lanka, is in the middle of a political strife, his achievements could not turn into an occasion for celebration as a national achievement, for the cricketing fraternity it is an occasion to celebrate, feels Cricket360 .

Pitched By Cricket360 Observer
Thursday, 05 February 2009

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