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"It was Saqlain Mushtaq who taught me the basics of bowling the doosra": Muttiah Muralidaran

FearlessRoar

FearlessRoar

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Saqlain Mushtaq and Muttiah Muralitharan, two of cricket's enchanting spin maestros, have left an indelible mark on the game. Saqlain's revolutionary "doosra" and Murali's mesmerizing variations redefine spin bowling, making them iconic figures in cricket's rich history. Their craft continues to inspire budding spinners worldwide.

Recently, at an event in a local college in India, Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralidaran revealed:

"It was Saqlain Mushtaq, who taught me the basics of bowling the 'doosra'. Doosra is a challenging delivery to master, and it took me over three years to bowl it with precision."

How do you rate Saqlain Mushtaq's doosra?
 
Sri Lankan legends have a lot of genuine regard for Pakistan cricketers/legends
 
FearlessRoar said:
Saqlain Mushtaq and Muttiah Muralitharan, two of cricket's enchanting spin maestros, have left an indelible mark on the game. Saqlain's revolutionary "doosra" and Murali's mesmerizing variations redefine spin bowling, making them iconic figures in cricket's rich history. Their craft continues to inspire budding spinners worldwide.

Recently, at an event in a local college in India, Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralidaran revealed:

"It was Saqlain Mushtaq, who taught me the basics of bowling the 'doosra'. Doosra is a challenging delivery to master, and it took me over three years to bowl it with precision."

How do you rate Saqlain Mushtaq's doosra?
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Saqlain Mushtaq was a real spin wizard but the match fixing scandal and intermittent injuries just brought an early end to his career.
 
Both champion players, what we would give to have a player of saqqi bhai's calibre in the current setup
 
Saqi had a better doosra. Murali was a better bowler (unless it can be proven he chucked all through his career by current equipment)
 
Saqlain's early retirement was a loss for Pakistan and the cricketing world. He had much to offer to Pakistan. You can assess this from the fact that players who have played more matches than him consider him their guru.
 
But in the end student became the perfectionst to pefrom that art od doosra which he learnt from saqi bhai
 
I think Saqlain could've taken more wickets than Murali (in ODI) had he played longer.

Saqlain played last ODI when he was 27. By then, he had 288 ODI wickets.
 
sweep_shot said:
I think Saqlain could've taken more wickets than Murali (in ODI) had he played longer.

Saqlain played last ODI when he was 27. By then, he had 288 ODI wickets.
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fake age.

Basically, that would mean Saqlain was 2 years younger than Misbah
 
sweep_shot said:
What was his real age then? Even if his real age was reduced by 3-4 years, he was still 30-31.
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he was probably fudging by 10 years.

For context, he is 1 year older than Saeed Ajmal
 
sweep_shot said:
I think Saqlain could've taken more wickets than Murali (in ODI) had he played longer.

Saqlain played last ODI when he was 27. By then, he had 288 ODI wickets.
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Still I don't understand why he vanished from international cricket too early

He could easily have been the highest wicket taker from Pakistan with the stats he had initially in his career
 
Saqlains age fudging is probably the worst of the lot.

Look at him vs other retired cricketers of same ‘Age’ the difference is startling
 
Saqlain was a magician of his era. It is so unfortunate for him and Pakistan that his career could not be pro-longed else he would have made many records that would have stayed unbreakable for a long. I am sure Muralidaran is not telling a lie here. Saqlain can be a godfather for the spinners out there.
 
Saqlain was as good as Warne/Murali in ODIs in his prime, him and Akram in death overs were so tough even for the best. Sad that his career stopped so abruptly, underachiever in test cricket, ATG in ODIs. And developed something new which is rare for desis compared to SENA players, our lot aren't that innovative.
 
Imagine how boring cricket would have been had Pakistanis not invented reverse swing and doosra.
 
Swashbuckler said:
Saqlain was as good as Warne/Murali in ODIs in his prime, him and Akram in death overs were so tough even for the best. Sad that his career stopped so abruptly, underachiever in test cricket, ATG in ODIs. And developed something new which is rare for desis compared to SENA players, our lot aren't that innovative.
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Saqlain was better than warne in odis tbh. Warne wasn't an odi atg
 
Saqilain's doosra was picked up by many top batsmen towards the end of his playing career, possibly due to his bowling action. Whenever he attempted to bowl the doosra, his arm bent significantly, signaling to the batsmen. However, Murali learned it from Saqlain and mastered it even during his final tests. Murali elevated this unconventional spin technique to new heights
 
Saqlain's doosra to Damien Martyn in the 2001 Natwest Series is probably one of my favourite wickets to replay on YouTube.
 
Hitman said:
Reverse swing? Yes! Doosra? No! It has produced a generation of chuckers.
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The doosra era was good for cricket overall as it made spin bowling an attacking option again.

I also think because of the influence of Saqlain and the introduction of mystery to finger spin bowling that carrom ball era also really took off with bowlers like Ashwin and Mendis etc.
 
Statpadder Inc said:
Saqlain was better than warne in odis tbh. Warne wasn't an odi atg
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Aussie pitches were not conducive to spin that time. But 1999 WC cements Warne's legacy, especially his performances in semis and final. He also won them the 1996 semi final from a lost position. Big game player.
 
On this day in 2010, Muttiah Muralitharan picked his 800th Test wicket on the last ball of his career.

The most wickets by any bowler in Test Cricket
 
FearlessRoar said:
On this day in 2010, Muttiah Muralitharan picked his 800th Test wicket on the last ball of his career.

The most wickets by any bowler in Test Cricket
Click to expand...
Insane record! With the current generation's fitness standards I don't think this record is going to be broken soon
 
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