Murali to be Australia spin coach

Murali to be Australia spin coach

Muttiah Muralidaran - once an outcast spurned by Australian cricket fans - will sign on as a guest spin coach to help mould the country's next generation of young spinners into champions.

In a stunning coup for Australian cricket, Sri Lanka's controversial spin genius will spend several weeks at the Brisbane-based Centre of Excellence in June for intensive training with rising Australian spinners, according to a report in the Australian newspaper Daily Telegraph.

Test cricket's greatest wicket-taker will not only impart the secrets of his spin wizardry but also record a spin coaching tutorial so his extraordinary knowhow will be passed on to future generations of Australian spinners.

It is a sign of how far the wheel has turned that Murali - who has been repeatedly heckled, taunted and even had fruit thrown at him by unruly fans here since being no-balled by Darrell Hair in the 1995 Boxing Day Test - will become Australia's potential spin saviour. Australian great Greg Chappell, one-time Indian coach and Australia's only full-time selector, masterminded Murali's visit by using his extensive network of contacts in the subcontinent.

"This is a wonderful opportunity ... Murali has probably forgotten more about spin bowling than most people will ever know in a lifetime," Chappell told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.

"Murali is one of the greatest spin bowlers of all time, we are very, very lucky.

"It is not just Murali's obvious physical skill that will be a huge benefit for our young spinners.

"It is also his mental toughness, his cleverness, his cunning and his ability to be able to set a batsman up and bowl 10-15 overs to a plan."

The Murali news is a shot in the arm for Australian cricket at a time when it conducts a major review into a devastating Ashes loss and tries to plot a fresh course into the future.

The nation's depleted spin stocks are one of the most pressing issues with 10 frontline spinners deployed at Test level since Shane Warne walked off into the sunset at the end of the 2006-07 home Ashes series.

Xavier Doherty and Michael Beer were both plucked from obscurity to wear baggy green caps this summer after Nathan Hauritz was sacked before the first Ashes Test.

Australian spinners have long struggled to unlock the secrets of the doosra and Murali was the man who made this mysterious delivery his own - even though the bona fides of his action were often questioned.

Murali's visit will also be invaluable for Australia's batsmen as his action will be recorded live and downloaded on the Academy's pro-batter video machine so batsmen can face a "virtual Murali" on the video-wall machine which mimics any bowler in the world.

Warne and former Pakistani off-spinner Saqlain Mustaq both had brief guest stints at the Centre of Excellence but Murali's visit - not long after he farewells international cricket at the 50-over World Cup starting this month - is positive news that Australian cricket desperately needs.

Chappell said Murali's coaching role would be confirmed once details were finalised in the next few weeks.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/sports/cricket/9642-murali-to-be-australia-spin-coach.html