UNI
New Delhi, Aug 8: Muttiah Muralitharan's herculean feat of scalping more than 1100 wickets in international cricket has failed to impress Bishen Singh Bedi, as after calling him a 'javelin thrower', the former India skipper now attributes the champion Sri Lanka spinner 'a shot putter' tag.
Bedi, a strong opinion maker on modern day cricket, in particular, is a vehement critic of Muralitharan's bowling action, which he bluntly refers to as cheating.
''Our kanhaiya (Murali), who I called the best shot putter, will go on to become the highest wicket taker of all time, that for me is not right,'' he said.
However, the 68-year-old former spinner, has expressed his dissatisfaction over the excessive use of technology in the game, and instead asked the on-field umpires to the final call on matters of chucking.
''We have taken technology too far. It is the on-field umpires who should take the call, if the umpires in the middle feels that a bowler's action is good enough than so be it,'' Bedi said on the sidelines of a book release function here on Monday.
Castigating the 35-year-old off-spinner, Bedi said, ''If your are a blind person, will you be given a chance to fly a plane. He (Murali) uses it to his advantage.
''You have to bowl with the shoulder, but Murali don't use it, he use his arm. You have to use ur naked eyes to decide this.'' ''For a bowler a five wicket haul means 150-runs from a batsman.
Sachin Tendulkar has got 37 centuries, Don Bradman has got 29, how many five-wickets haul he (Murali) has got under his kitty, 65, this is ludicrous,'' the frank-speaking sikh added.