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Symonds speaks up for Murali
- Thread starter James
- Start date
BoyBrumby
Englishman
No-one likes to see any bloke cop a load of abuse (the exceptions to this rule are Robbie Savage & Craig Bellamy, obv) but I do sometimes think Murali might have encouraged the more boneheaded elements of the Aussie crowd with his slightly queeny response to the crap he cops. If he'd have said to himself "Balls to the lot of you" and answered with a bagfull of wickets I think the ockers would've warmed to him; as he's let it become public knowledge how hurtful he finds it & even refused to tour down under I suspect this encourages his abusers.
Not claiming all Aussie crowds are saints, but I remember how Fat Gray warned last year about all the horrible racist abuse Monty would cop during The Ashes & they seemed to love him.
Not claiming all Aussie crowds are saints, but I remember how Fat Gray warned last year about all the horrible racist abuse Monty would cop during The Ashes & they seemed to love him.
Pratters
Cricket, Lovely Cricket
Yeah.
i'm not so sure, i think the people who abuse him and call him a cheat would've continued to say he is cheating and his wickets don't count anyway(and this is not restricted to aussies)....
BoyBrumby
Englishman
Yeah, you get idiots everywhere unfortunately, but I do think part of any crowd mentality is that they've encouraged to do their worst when they know they a get a rise out of their intended victim. I'm not suggesting that if Murali had kept his counsel they'd be building statues to him in Oz, but I do genuinely reckon it would put off all but the very hard-core morons.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Exactly. Wickets cannot prove you're not a chucker. And people who refuse to believe the evidence that shows clearly that he is not are not likely to be swayed by a few bags of wickets, if anything they'll simply be agitated more.
And no, it's certainly not only Aussies, there was a share of the rubbish (however little coverage it got) here in 2006. It just tends to have more of a meal made of it in Australia than anywhere else.
I can't help feeling, anyway, that Symonds' words will fall on deaf ears. I'll be very surprised if Murali doesn't cop it as usual.
four_or_six
Cricketer Of The Year
Possibly true... Brett Lee gets no-balled and a lot of abuse from the England fans, but I think he also gained most people's respect by taking it with a laugh and now it's more done in jest than with malice.
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
Brett Lee isn't chasing Warne's wickets....
That's the primary motivation. People don't like someone like Murali breaking the record of their favorite cricketer.
BoyBrumby
Englishman
Warne's fairly popular over here, but I seriously doubt too many English fans would be that bothered by Murali overhauling him.
Anyway, Murali copped abuse from way before it became obvious that he (or Warne for that matter) would one day be the world's leading wicket taker so can't agree that it's the primary motivation.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
But back in 1996 both were nothing more than young spinners starting out in their careers.
If in that year, never mind in 1992 when their paths first crossed, you'd told anyone present that one day they'd be jostling for the top around the 700-wicket mark, I doubt many if any would've believed you.
Fusion
Global Moderator
Props to Symonds for speaking up on Murali's behalf. I'm a huge Murali fan, but I think he needs to grow thicker skin. I realize that he's the target of the worst of abuse out there, but he's a professional athlete. He should be able to take it. In fact, use it for motivation and blow away the other team's lineup. That will shut up the crowd, I guarantee it. As long as the abuse is not racist or personal, everything else is fair game IMO. Chants of "no ball", or booing, is not crossing the limits.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
I honestly don't think it will. It'll disappoint them, sure, but it won't stop people yelling "chucker" at him, if anything (as I say earlier) it'll only make them do it more.
What may really have an effect is if John Howard went out of his way to shake hands with Murali and bury the hatchett or did something like that....
But do you think John is humble enough at this point in his political career to do something like that ....doubt it..
Something that may have an effect is if John Howard shakes hands with Murali to show that he's buried the hatchett as it were ...
But somehow doubt that John Howard at this point in his political career has enough humility to do something like that.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Nah, I really don't think the typical Australian cricket crowd members would do anything at a game as a result of John Howard shaking someone's hand. Symonds's comments would have even had more of an effect than that!
archie mac
International Coach
I don't think that has much to do with it tbh, Aussies don't like someone who can't take it, and they feel Murali is being a little to precious.
It should be remembered that many Aussies booed the umpires when ever they no-balled Murali.
It could not be much worse then the abuse Warne copped from the Poms, or what Blee copped from the BA during the last Ashes series.
I think he is a bit of a sook if the truth be known
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
I wasn't aware the abuse was racist. The abuse Murali suffers is often the same type members of the South African side suffered. Quite different from the usual Aus-Eng banter, which is usually done in good fun. If I were Murali, I simply would stop touring Australia. Why put yourself through that for no reason?
I don't really mind the no-ball chants and the like. I don't think there is any place for racist abuse, and Australia has a reputation for it. This is just me personally, but I don't really ever want to watch a Test match in Australia whereas I'd love to go to England and any other country (except Zimbabwe of course).
I don't really mind the no-ball chants and the like. I don't think there is any place for racist abuse, and Australia has a reputation for it. This is just me personally, but I don't really ever want to watch a Test match in Australia whereas I'd love to go to England and any other country (except Zimbabwe of course).
I don't think he minds the no-ball stuff and has really got used to that in Australia.
But what really gets bad is the bottles and stuff thrown as he fields near Long on or 3rd Man and the close up personal nasties and the racist stuff shouted at close range from the stand as he fields near the ropes.
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