KaZoH0lic's arguments
#1 Warne bowled to more set batsman
Warne had support from fast bowlers. When he comes to bowling, there are few wickets down. Pressure is on and he is bowling to new batsman. When Murali comes it's usually one wicket down, and he's bowling to set openers. then there was less support from other end. Batsman can dig in from the other end.
#2 Because McGrath took wickets, Warne was forced to bowl at tail enders
If it is the case, why Murali takes more middle order wickets than Warne? Expanding this argument means that Murali have to bowl to a larger number of better batsman than Warne. Hence, Warne's SR, ER, Avg. should be lower because he's bowling to more tail enders
If #1 is correct it contradics #2!
Absolutely incorrect. They contradict because 1 and 2 cannot happen at the same time.
If McGrath is taking wickets then when Warne comes on to change he is facing newer batsmen. However, when this happens it automatically restricts Warne in taking upper-order batsmen as there aren't as many.
Whereas when it doesn't happen, and 2/3rds of his wickets coming from top/mid-order batsmen being a testament to that regularity, he is forced to face more settled batsmen.
#3 Murali is brought earlier than Warne in to the attack.
Yes, when? atleast after 13 overs. Why? fast bowlers are getting a pasting. What that means? They are set.
With what he has to bowl? A new ball that is not conducive to spin. But Murali still does better.
It doesn't mean they are set neither does it mean they get a pasting. Especially, Vaas who is very economical - even moreso at home. The fact is Murali bowls a lot regardless of his support bowling well or not. He will get more than his fair share of overs. Which also means that whether batsmen are settled or not it is more due to his own efforts than that of Vaas. He bowls 20 overs more per test, that is a staggering difference.
#4 Because Murali is bowling throughout momentum is with him
True. Let's see the negative side of it too. When your spinner is getting a whack, momentum is with batsman. To whom SL captain has to turn? No one. He has to use defensive fields and bowl Murali. What does that mean? Murali bowls to more set batsman.
As aforesaid, Vaas is more than adequate foil. He doesn't get anymore of a pasting, or as often, as even a McGrath (his economy is as good as Warne's). The fact is that he isn't a wicket-taking partner. This is really the major difference. Where Warne's partners are very good wicket-takers and keep good economy, Murali's don't take wickets but are good enough to keep the run-rate stable.
Also, as aforesaid (a few times) Murali bowls often double the amount of his nearest rival on the day. This fact alone illustrates that most of the 'settling' is done on the back of his
own bowling. How can Murali be the reason they're not settling if he is the one bowling the most?
When Warne is getting a hammering, captain can take him off and bring another bowler with still attacking fields in operation. What does that mean? Warne is taken off from bowling to the set batsman.
That's the thing, Warne has rarely ever been taken off from bowling to set batsmen. He is our main answer to them and more often than not has succeeded. The important part being that the wickets (top/middle-order) he takes come usually when McGrath, Gillespie, Kasper and Lee are not taking those wickets. When Warne has been asked to bowl early he has invariably taken wickets. Take his last series in Sri Lanka and England as examples, when McGrath wasn't present for either.
But Murali bowls so early and continues to bowl regularly for the rest of the day. If any settling is done it is on the brunt of his own bowling.
Also, the fact that these are two bowlers of the highest quality means they're rarely bowling that bad and getting smashed throughout the day. The difference is that whilst there is this downside to bowling throughout the day, it is MORE than made up for considering the many many times that an all-time bowler like Murali will be bowling well and the momentum will be with him. The other side you bring is true, it just doesn't happen enough for either bowler. They're usually bowling very well, which means that in the moments they are bowling very well, the momentum factor goes against Warne as he is more often bowling very well than very poor (for him to be taken out of the attack).
