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Murali is the most controversial and talked about player in world cricket. His bowling action has been questioned though it has now been cleared.

Murali is the most controversial and talked about player in world cricket. His bowling action has been questioned though it has now been cleared.

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Personally, I do not have a problem with his action. It is unfair to keep questioning his action when through the test of time, and a system that has analysed and passed him, he has captured over 400 Test and over 300 one-day wickets.
A physical deformity from birth does not allow him to straighten his bowling arm This unusual wrist action allows him to impart prodigious spin that has deceived the most of the top batsmen. Someone once said, "Murali can turn the ball on concrete."

Wisden rates him as the best bowler of all time - it is significant that when Sri Lanka win matches, he captures 57 % of his team's wickets, an incredible strike rate. If Murali is fit to play all the games, he will lift the overall Sri Lankan performance because he adds to the team’s confidence. Whenever Murali plays, Sri Lanka invariably performs better.

Murali can be called upon by his captain to get wickets or to slow down the run rate. It is not often that he is hit out of the attack. Batsmen appear to have difficulty in not only picking his stock delivery, but also the ball that straightens and sometimes spins the other way.

To tackle him batsmen can use the option to try and hit him out of the attack and destroy his confidence, or otherwise play him out and not concede their wicket while collecting about 30 runs from his 10 overs. Either way, Murali is rarely dominated by any one. Even though, Murali has failed to make impact in previous World Cups, he is rated as the best bowler in one-day cricket behind Glenn Mcgrath. His record suggests that he is most likely to perform well.