Not my fault Murali pulled out: Howard

The Aussie PM denied that his description of the Sri Lankan as a 'chucker' led to the spinner's decision to snub Tests Down Under.

Prime Minister John Howard denied on Wednesday that his description of Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan as a "chucker" led to the champion spinner's decision to snub a Test tour of Australia.

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And Shane Warne, the Australian spinner intent on surpassing Muralitharan's world-record 527 Test wickets, chided his rival as too "thin skinned" and urged him to ignore his critics and come to Australia.

The 32-year-old Muralitharan announced on Tuesday that he would not join the Australia tour starting later this month for "personal reasons".

But many linked Muralitharan's decision to criticism in Australia of his bowling action, notably from Howard -- an avowed "cricket tragic" -- who called the Sri Lankan a chucker after his "doosra" delivery was declared illegal earlier this year.

Asked in a radio interview Wednesday if his comments influenced Muralitharan's decision, Howard replied: "I don't believe so."

"I made it very clear at the time that he was very welcome to ... come," he said.

"He's very welcome to come and he claims that there are personal reasons why he doesn't want to come and I tend to believe that and that's the information I have," Howard said.

Muralitharan, who has a world record 527 Test wickets to his credit, said in a statement earlier that he had been defamed, pilloried and severely criticised by the world's cricket media.

"Even the prime minister of Australia has called me a chucker and then in the next sentence says I will be welcome to tour his country," he said.

In an interview published Wednesday in Sydney's Daily Telegraph, Muralitharan admitted that the intense scrutiny of his bowling action had played "a major part" in his decision to avoid the Australia tour.

But he declined to elaborate and insisted Howard's chucker comment had not influenced him.

"I just got to a stage where I needed some quiet time so that is why I am missing the tour. I would rather just leave it as personal reasons," he said.

Howard defended his criticism of Muralitharan.

"I relied very much on the findings of that examination that was carried out in Perth and the conclusion of that had something to say about the doosra," he said.

Warne, who has taken his share of criticism for frequent off-the-pitch escapades, said Muralitharan was wrong to snub Australia.

"He has a lot of critics, particularly in Australia, but you can't afford to let the critics get to you," he was quoted as saying in The Daily Telegraph.

"You cannot worry about what other people say or write about you, it's a matter of just getting on with it," he said.

Warne needs 11 wickets to break Muralitharan's world record, but has to recover from a broken hand to have a tilt at the record during Sri Lanka's tour.

The first Test against Sri Lanka starts in Darwin on July 1.