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ICC says no reports on Murali
No umpire or match referee has complained about Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling action to the International Cricket Council (ICC) in recent times. English cricket writers again tried to whip up controversy over ace spinner Muralitharan's action during the cricket tour by the England team in November-December last year, this time concentrating on the bowler's newly developed leg spinner or wrong 'un.

This chorus of writers was joined in Australia by former Indian captain Bishen Bedi who not only questioned the Sri Lankan bowler's action but called him names that some might call defamatory.

All this came a few months before the Australian tour of Sri Lanka and not an unfamiliar move to try and demoralise Muralitharan and the Sri Lankan team. There have been suggestions that Bishen Bedi, who is not entirely unknown for needlessly foul-mouthing cricketers, may be invited to scrutinise Muralitharan's bowling action. The ICC vehemently denied any part in such a move. "What I can say with certainty is that the only people with the authority to report a bowler with a suspect action are umpires and referees. No umpire or referee has reported Muralitharan," Brendon McClements, General Manager, Corporate Affairs of the ICC told The Sunday Times last week.

"Mr Bedi has no role with the ICC and has not been asked by the ICC to examine the actions of any bowler." Asked whether Muralitharan's action is under scrutiny right now, Brendon McClements said: "No more or less than any other international player.

I would stress again that no report by any umpire or referee has been made against this player. " If English cricket writers/ commentators, like some of their Australian counterparts, were trying to influence, if not pressurise umpires and referees to rush to the ICC, they appear to have failed in their quest to subject Muralitharan to further embarrassment and harassment. The ICC officer said that every international cricketer is subject to the same level of scrutiny and that umpires and referees look at every bowler in international cricket. -Neville de Silva

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