Sparks are bound to fly when West Indies skipper Brian Lara bats against ace Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in a World Cup Super Eights match in Georgetown on Sunday.
The pair were involved in an engrossing duel in a three-Test series in Sri Lanka in 2001, with Lara proving why is considered one of the best batsmen against spin in modern cricket.
If there was any West Indian batsman who succeeded in dominating the Sri Lankan spinner, it was Lara who plundered 688 runs in three matches with three centuries on slow turning pitches.
But it was never easy upstaging champion spinner Murali, who kept probing the batsmen with his subtle variations to play a big role in his team’s 3-0 series victory with 24 wickets.
Muralitharan has already described Lara as ”more classy” than others and the ”most dangerous left-hand batsman I have ever bowled to in my career”.
Lara has already earned lavish praises from retired Australian leg-spin wizard Shane Warne.
”[Sachin] Tendulkar and Lara are the two best batsmen of my era,” Warne said.
”I think these two guys have been the toughest at the international level. Lara because of his placement. I can’t believe it. It’s just amazing. He can dominate a game, no matter who’s bowling.”
Lara, quick to spot error in line and length, uses his feet remarkably well against spinners and never gives them a chance to find any rhythm.
Pakistani leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was at the receiving end in a home Test series last year as he was never allowed to settle by Lara.
”I don’t think getting hit by the world’s number-one batsman is a failure on my part. I am actually happy that a player as great as Lara hit me around. I learn from that, but he has hit everyone from around the world,” said Kaneria.
”He is a fantastic timer of the ball. He sees the ball from my hand and reads it so well which is the sign of a great player. I wanted to trap him but he was thinking ahead of me.”
Lara is in form in his last World Cup, having already scored 195 runs in four innings with one half-century. He is also the only West Indian with more than 10 000 runs in one-day internationals.
Muralitharan also didn’t take time to find his rhythm in the ongoing tournament, beginning with two wickets against Bermuda. He was at his best in big matches against India and South Africa.
The Indian batsmen, considered the best against spin, looked uncomfortable against the Sri Lankan who took three wickets for 41 runs off 10 tight overs.
He also bagged three wickets against South Africa and was instrumental in keeping the batsmen silent in the middle overs.
Muralitharan has the ability to turn the ball on any surface and is likely to pose a threat to the West Indies on a pitch which is expected to favour slow bowlers.
The Sri Lankan is the second-highest wicket-taker in the shorter version of the game with 441, behind only retired Pakistani left-arm fast bowler Wasim Akram (502). – Sapa-AFP