Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 4 Num 304 Tue. April 06, 2004  
   
Sports


What has Elliot seen?


Sri Lanka's cricket board already know the results of Muttiah Muralitharan's suspect bowling action assessment but are yet to publicly release the details.

University of Western Australia biomechanist Bruce Elliott, who supervised last week's tests, said on Monday he had spoken to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to pass on key data information.

Elliott said he would complete a written report later this week and send it to the board.

"They know what the numbers are," Elliott told this news agency in a telephone interview from Perth.

"Just the pure numbers at the elbow. That's the key to the issue I suppose but that's where we are with that.

"I don't know what the Sri Lankan board will be doing. I would hope they would tell me that they would let us make it public or they would make it public.

"Now really it's up to the Sri Lankan cricket board and the ICC."

Muraliltharan's bowling was assessed after the off-spinner was reported to the International Cricket Council (ICC) by match referee Chris Broad during the recent Sri Lanka and Australia Test series.

The legality of his "doosra" delivery, which spins in the opposite direction to his stock ball, has been called into question.

Elliott's team analysed data relating to six "doosra" deliveries from a testing session in Perth during which the slow bowler wore only reflective markers on his upper body.

Muralitharan has taken 513 wickets in 88 Tests and is six wickets shy of West Indian Courtney Walsh's world record.

The 31-year-old took 28 wickets in the home series against Australia last month, while Australia leg spinner Shane Warne grabbed 26 to move to 517 in total.

Sri Lanka's cricket board is responsible for reviewing and, if necessary, remedying Murali-tharan's bowling action with the assistance of an ICC-appointed expert before submitting a report to the ICC within six weeks of Broad's March 28 announcement.

Muralitharan's action has been the source of controversy since he was no balled for throwing by umpire Darrell Hair in a Test match at Melbourne in December 1995.

He was later cleared by the ICC after a University of Western Australia biomechanical analysis, which concluded that the bent-arm action created the "optical illusion" of chucking.