Bowl within the rules, Murali urges bowlers

SHARJAH, Oct 8 (AFP): Sri Lanka's world record holder Muttiah Muralitharan, once called for chucking during his controversial career, Wednesday urged bowlers around the world to bowl within the rules or else change their actions.

The 42-year-old joined the debate whether the process adopted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in its crackdown on bowlers with suspect actions will diminish the art of spin bowling, a craft which fetched him 800 wickets in Tests and 534 in one-dayers-both records.

In July the ICC launched a crackdown on bowlers with suspect actions, suspending Sri Lanka's Sachitra Senanayake, New Zealand's Kane Williamson and Pakistan's high profile bowler Saeed Ajmal.

Zimbabwe's Prosper Utseya and the Bangladeshi duo of Sohag Gazi and Al-Amin Hossan were also reported for suspect actions last month.

Apart from paceman Hossain, all other bowlers are off-spinners and some of them bowl the controversial "doosra," a delivery which turns the other way compared to the normal off-breaks.

Under ICC rules-implemented in 2006 after controversy over Muralitharan's doosra-bowlers are allowed to straighten their arms by 15 degree, established as the point at which any straightening will become visible to the naked eye.