Originally posted by Arnold S: I reckon he can do this.
So do i, espesh if they can get a couple more series against the banglas in before the year end.
It is criminal the Lankans are willing to play so many games against them, can only be to help Murali to break records and fill the batsmen's boots with double hundreds. It's a joke series, matches against Bangladesh should be discounted from the record books and then Charles will be well behind Shane
The list of batsmen who've struggled against Murali consist largely of English batsmen, which isn't surprising considering he averages less than 20 runs per wicket against them. The three names which aren't from England are very distinguished names: Sachin Tendulkar has fallen to him three times in the recent past, while Adam Gilchrist and Ramnaresh Sarwan have come out second-best too.
And the batsmen who haven't (since May 2001) Batsman Runs/ Balls Dismissals Average Runs per over Andrew Flintoff 80/ 186 6 13.33 2.58 Marcus Trescothick 110/ 266 8 13.75 2.48 Paul Collingwood 85/ 262 5 17.00 1.94 Michael Vaughan 68/ 212 4 17.00 1.92 Sachin Tendulkar 55/ 143 3 18.33 2.30 Graham Thorpe 110/ 387 5 22.00 1.70 Ramnaresh Sarwan 113/ 358 5 22.60 1.89 Adam Gilchrist 96/ 158 4 24.00 3.64
Maybe Murali should be a given a 5 tests Bangla series every two years or so....lol
Lancashire captain Mark Chilton hailed master spinner Muttiah Muralitharan after the jetlagged star helped his Lightning team-mates secure their place at Twenty20 Cup finals day.
Muralitharan took four for 18 to help see off Warwickshire by six runs in the quarter-final at Edgbaston just hours after arriving back in England following international duty in Sri Lanka.
Muralitharan showed no signs of tiredness as Lancashire successfully defended their 193 for five - but Chilton revealed it had been a different story in the dressing room.
Chilton told Sky Sports News: "He had had a 16-hour flight. He had not got a lot of sleep but while we had a net he got his head down.
"He was very tired but we're glad he got off the plane and it gives us a day out.
"He was fabulous really. He was maybe not quite the difference but he did really well in that middle period."
Lancashire will now return to Edgbaston for the competition's showpiece occasion on August 4 and will play Gloucestershire for a place in the final.
Gloucestershire came through at the expense of Worcestershire on Tuesday while Sussex while face Kent in the other semi-final after victories over Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire respectively.
Lancashire's total was bolstered by a rapid fourth-wicket partnership of 97 in 47 balls between top scorer Gareth Cross (62), who hit five sixes, and Steven Croft (42 not out).
Neil Carter hit four sixes in a 58 that gave Warwickshire hope in reply but Muralitharan put paid to the Bears' hopes of featuring in finals day at their home ground.
Yorkshire suffered a similar fate as they fell 38 runs short against Sussex at Hove.
The Sharks posted the same score as Lancashire, 193 for five, after a second-wicket stand of 71 between Murray Goodwin (57) and Luke Wright, who hit three sixes in a 27-ball 45.
Sussex did not help themselves with some poor fielding but the wily leg-spin of Mushtaq Ahmed helped see them home despite the efforts of Craig White (47), Younus Khan (30) and Jacques Rudolph (21).
Joe Denly (63no) and Robert Key (54) put on 96 for the first wicket but Kent left it late in the postponed game at Trent Bridge.
The Spitfires were responding to Notts' 138 all out and needed until the penultimate ball to secure their nine-wicket win.
Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion! 
