Warning: Cricket blogging!
Via Norm, I find that The Guardian asked Phil Simmons and Gary Kirsten to debate the question, Is Shane Warne better than Muttiah Muralitharan?
A superficial analysis of the numbers might suggest that Murali has the edge. But then you need to remember that Murali’s figures are padded by the fruits of no fewer than 25 tests against hapless Zimbabwe and Bangladesh (Warne has a total of three tests against such feeble competition). Secondly, Wanre’s record away from home is just as good as his record at home; Murali is less effective away from the comforts of Sri Lankan wickets. Thirdly, their records when they confront the world’s best players of spin in India are broadly similar. You can make an eminently defensible case for either man.
Still, the current series against Australia is of considerable importance to Murali: in his previous three tests in Australia he averages 63 with the ball.
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