Muralitharan showers praise on Shakib

   Spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan believed that the bunch of left arm spinners would not benefit in Bangladesh cause in the international circuit unless they bring up variation in bowling. Expressing his surprise over watching a good number of left arm spinners, the great said that it would not be possible to move forward with relying on just left arm spinners.
“Bangladesh cricket will not be benefited much by only the left arm spinners. Even they will not move forward to a long path in the international level cricket by it,” Muralitharan, told the reporters at a local hotel in the city on Tuesday.
“Bowling variation is inevitable to get a good result in the international level,” the spin great who is playing for Chittagong Kings in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) added.
“Twenty20 cricket though is a different ball game, you need bowling varieties also in this cricket.”
Muralitharan had a fleeting ambition of taking a phenomenal 1,000 Test wickets but injury concerns in an ageing body prompted him to drop the idea. After taking his 800th wicket in a match against India at Galle in a fairytale way, he retired from the Test Cricket. He bids adieu the ODI cricket after the last World Cup’s final against India.
He showered praise on Bangladesh left arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan and earmarked him as the asset of the country.
Shakib became number one all-rounder in both ODI and Test cricket. He has been doing quite well. It is something good for Bangladesh,” he hailed.
Muralitharan, considered as all time great off-spinner did not think that off-spin bowling lost its aura after his retirement. He singled out Saeed Ajmal, Harbhajan  Singh and Nathan McCullum as the potential off-spinner who could lift the art further.
“Nathan McCullum of New Zealand, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi of Pakistan, Harbhajan Singh and Aswin of India are the notable contemporary off-spinners,” said Murali who also took 534 wickets in 341 matches in one-day said.
Demolishing number on ranked Test side England almost single handedly, Saeed Ajmal earned the respect of number one off-spinner at the moment. Muralitharan also did not differ with it.
“At the moment he is the best off-spinner in the world. Shakib and Afridi also have been doing great in ODI cricket,” the Lankan great pondered.
Muralitharan, who started development work in his country after his retirement, want to spread his work in the whole sub-continent.
The spin wizard took an initiative to give the bowling tips to the young spinners through mobile phone. He has been in talk to GrameenPhone in Bangladesh through BCB senior vice-president Mahbub Anam, one of his close friends, to start the procedure.
“I’ve come to play BPL because of my good friend Mahbub (Mahbub Anam)” the veteran off-spinner said.
“BPL is a good platform for me after taking retirement from the international cricket,” he revealed.

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