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'He can't keep his mouth shut'

Muralitharan slams 'miserable' Warne

Cricinfo staff

November 15, 2007

Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan in happier times © Getty Images

Muttiah Muralitharan has lashed out at Shane Warne, calling him a "miserable man" and declaring he would not speak to Warne at the unveiling of the new trophy that bears their names. Muralitharan was angered by Warne's suggestion that the ICC should have Muralitharan's bowling action analysed during a Test match, despite the fact he has repeatedly passed laboratory tests.

"I am very disappointed with what he said," Muralitharan told the Sydney Morning Herald. "He can't keep his mouth shut because he wants to keep making these comments. He must be a miserable man in his life. But that is his opinion and there is nothing I can do about it."

Warne is the world's leading Test wicket-taker with 708 victims but Muralitharan needs only seven more to overtake him and that could happen in the second Test, which starts in Hobart on Friday. The rift comes at an awkward time after the two champions were honoured with the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, which will be held by the winner of the Australia-Sri Lanka Test series and will be unveiled by the pair on Thursday.

"Maybe he just doesn't want me to pass his record," Muralitharan said. "Why else would he keep saying these things? I will shake his hand [at the ceremony] and go straight off the field instead of trying to be friendly."

Warne wrote in his News Ltd column on Tuesday that checking Muralitharan's action during a match would offer "peace of mind" to everybody in world cricket and "surely Murali would want that". The comments came after a newspaper article on the weekend in which Warne's mentor, Terry Jenner, floated the idea of in-match testing for Muralitharan.

"Terry Jenner played cricket a long time ago and cricket is very different now," Muralitharan said. "So it doesn't matter what he says. But Jenner and Warne are still always commenting, commenting, commenting. It makes them feel important."

Muralitharan told the paper he and Warne were not on good terms before these latest problems, as he believed Warne considered Muralitharan had collected too many cheap Test wickets against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Although 163 of Muralitharan's Test victims have been Zimbabwe or Bangladesh players, he also has an outstanding record against England and South Africa and says he can only play whoever Sri Lanka is scheduled to face.

Muralitharan said he had no comment about the decision to use his name alongside Warne's on the new trophy. "That was the decision between the boards of Sri Lanka and Australia," he said. "I cannot say anything else."

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