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Detractors claimed that when Wisden named Muralitharan the greatest bowler of all time in 2002, Derail Hare and Gross Emersion were extremely upset. The former they said cried all night in a public toilet and would just not let go of the commode and the latter went into hysterics, first foaming at the mouth and babbling inanities before soiling his clothes and then fainting. While these may be mild exaggerations on the reaction of Murali's detractors, which includes many players, coaches, scribes and even seemingly senile politicians, with regards to his success on the field, they are a pitiful minority compared to his supporters.
Shane Warne, himself one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game, believes that Muralitharan will eventually be the one to finish with the record, saying he believes that Muralitharan will take "1000 wickets" before he retires.
A notable feature of Muralitharan is his unique run-up action of "flapping wings" resembling the flapping wings of a chicken and bulging eyes, in which the latter adds a somewhat painful look to his highly effective bowling. He is considered as a big turner of the ball due to the amount of spin he puts on the ball with his fingers, in addition to the flighting of the ball that is very hard for a batsman to play at.
(To be continued)
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