Murali's Candid Talk: "Never Got Angry at People Who Accused Me of Throwing"

In an emotional press conference, the Sri Lankan off spinner spoke of his good and bad days in his cricket career.

muttiah muralitharan with wife madhimalar

muttiah muralitharan kumar sangakkara at press con

Accompanied by his wife, Madhimalar, and congratulated by the Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan spoke out about the accusations of chucking that have marked his career, "Eight hundred wickets is just a number because I already have the world record. I have taken it as a challenge to give me the motivation to take the eight wickets I need to reach that mark and also win the Test for my country. I hope we can achieve it. I have confidence that we have a good Test team and I hope we can win my farewell Test and hopefully the series.

"Thanks to Arjuna Ranatunga (the captain), Aravinda de Silva (vice-captain) and the Cricket Board officials at the time (1995-96) they backed me. Because of their backing and the public who were behind me I am here today talking to you with all these tremendous bowling records. Otherwise I would have been just another bowler who played a little bit of cricket and went off. At one time I thought I would give up and bowl leg-spin. Fortunately everyone helped me get over it.

"At the time I might have got upset because that is human nature, but I never got angry with the people who accused me of throwing. People have different opinions and at the time they might have thought I was doing wrong. My reply to them is without looking at me with the naked eye, try and judge me with the technology that is now available for everything.

"Why don't they use it and see whether there is anything wrong with my bowling action. That's the only argument I have against them. A thousand people can have different opinions. There will be people supportive of my bowling action and others not. Technology has proved that I am clean, but when you want to criticise someone you don't need technology, it's all what you think about that person. That is the reality of life. I don't regret anything at all. What I have done is memories and it will be there with me. People can carry their own opinion about me but I don't care for as long as I am clean, I am very happy."

On who can break his record:

"Fred Trueman said when he took 300 Test wickets that if someone wanted to break his record he would be a very tired man. Bowlers have since more than doubled that figure. Records are meant to be broken and some genius will come and break it you'll never know. I will be happy for whoever who does that."

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