Murali ponders defamation action

By Saroj Pathirana
BBC Sinhala Service

The Sri Lanka spinner is currently playing for Lancashire

Muttiah Muralitharan could take legal action against former Indian captain Bishan Bedi for defamation, according to his manager, Kushil Gunasekara.

Bedi likened the spinner's action to that of a shot-putter and said that the International Cricket Council "created a monster" by allowing him to continue.

Gunasekara said that a legal firm was to send a "letter of demand" to Bedi.

"We will wait for Bedi's response before taking any further action," Gunasekara told the BBC.

Former spinner Bedi told Indian media that the Sri Lankan star was "a bad example" for young cricketers and was "using his deformity as an advantage" against his rivals.

Gunasekara told the BBC: "Bedi's comments amounts to character assassination."

Due to a deformity, Muralitharan bowls with a bent arm but he was cleared of throwing by the ICC after biomechanical analysis which concluded that the action created an "optical illusion".

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Interim Committee has also voiced its displeasure at Bedi's remarks.

606: DEBATE What is this grudge Bedi has against Murali? AB

SLC committee chairman Jayantha Dharamadasa said: "Muralitharan has been cleared by the ICC a couple of times."

The SLC also supports the legal suit against the former Indian skipper, Gunasekara said.

With 700 Test wickets to his name, Muralitharan is expected to pass Shane Warne's world record 708 Test victims when Sri Lanka tour Australia later this year.