2024-09-11 05:30:39
New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s great spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan believes that breaking his record of 800 Test wickets is not only difficult but impossible. Muralitharan also said that he is worried about the future of Test cricket. After Muralitharan, the second best off-spinner in Test cricket is Australia’s Nathan Lyon (530 wickets) and India’s Ravichandran Ashwin (516 wickets). Muralitharan, who played 133 Test matches for Sri Lanka, told the ‘Daily Mail’ on Monday, “I am definitely worried about Test cricket. Every country will probably play only six or seven Test matches. England and Australia may play the Ashes, but in some other countries, not many people are watching it. Very little Test cricket is being played.
Why is it difficult to break the record of 800 wickets
On his record of 800 Test wickets, he said, ‘It is very difficult to break it, because now everyone’s attention has shifted to short-format cricket. Also, we have played for 20 years. Now careers have become shorter.’ Muralitharan has also taken 534 wickets in 350 ODIs. He believes that despite being on the verge of victory in the third Test match against England at the Oval, Sri Lanka lost the series because they did not have the consistency required to play in this format.
Sri Lanka won the test match at the Oval after 26 years
He said, ‘The problem is consistency. It doesn’t matter how good the players are, because they are all talented. The only thing is how can they become experienced? Nowadays, it is difficult. They have so many tournaments and things on their mind.’ Sri Lanka last won a Test match at the Oval in 1998, when Muralitharan performed brilliantly. Recalling the match, he said, ‘The wicket was flat, and even though England scored around 450 runs, we scored around 600 runs. On the fourth day evening the wicket started spinning. I always spun the ball, and I got bounce. That’s why we won the match.’