Muri 'proved' innocent

HONG KONG: Sri Lanka's World Cup campaign was given a timely morale boost yesterday when a Hong Kong professor revealed comprehensive scientific tests would clear off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan of throwing.

Muralitharan has been widely criticised for his unorthodox bowling style, culminating with the International Cricket Council issuing a statement late last year supporting an umpire's decision to no-ball him.

The 23-year-old finger spinner, who has been included in Sri Lanka's 14-man squad for the World Cup, underwent three and a half days of testing at Hong Kong's University of Science and Technology this week.

"The tests prove Muralitharan's off-spin, which was the more suspect, is not a throw, and the leg-spin, which wasn't really questioned, is also not a throw," Dr Ravindra Goonetilleke said.

The assistant professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said he forwarded the interim results to Sri Lanka cricket officials, who are gathering evidence to present to the ICC, the sport's governing body.

Goonetilleke says the tests, which saw Muri bowl for "four to five hours" a day, proved beyond doubt the chucking allegation was purely an illusion due to his "bent" arm.

Using an instrument for measuring posture which identifies repetitive strain injuries, the spinner bowled between 30-50 overs with electronic wiring strapped to his elbow, fingers and around his wrist.

"The device recorded 500 angles and 500 force values per second from the finger and elbow," Goonetilleke said.

"The information was downloaded into a computer and it shows, according to the (the game's) law, he is not throwing." - Reuter