No wounds over umpire Hair comments, say Sri Lankans

Muralitharan would not comment on possible disciplinary action facing Hair following this week's International Cricket Council meeting, but team manager Ranjith Fernando said the whole drama was finished.

Hair no-balled Muralitharan seven times during a 1995 Test in Melbourne and another Australian umpire Ross Emerson called him during a one-dayer in Brisbane a few weeks later.

The issue was fuelled again recently by comments by Hair in his autobiography in which he described the Sri Lankan's bowling action as diabolical.

Since then Muralitharan has taken 200 Test wickets in 42 Tests, as fast as champion Australian leg spinner Shane Warne, and looms as Sri Lanka's trump card in the triangular one-day series.

``Muralitharan is the type of bowler who doesn't bother too much about the things that are extraneous, if one might call it, and I think he's handled multiple pressures brilliantly,'' Fernando said here Tuesday.

``At times it may be in a humorous sense he's been given a bit of flak but he's taken it on very well and that's important.

``That is a very important thing for young Muralitharan because he now needs to expose himself to all types of things that great bowlers have to take on.''

Hair has subsequently stood down from any match involving Sri Lanka and on Monday the ICC charged him with breaching its code of conduct, the first umpire to earn such a charge.

News of the charge filtered into the Sri Lankan dressing room during Monday's four-wicket one-day loss to England, but the Sri Lankans chose not to speak publicly on the issue.

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board called for Hair to be disciplined.

Muralitharan was no-balled three times by umpire Steve Davis here on Monday - but for overstepping the crease.

``I don't think there was any concern about it because we are convinced that he always had a very fair action and there was never a problem,'' Fernando said.

``Our board substantiated all those (throwing) claims and 40 umpires around the world could not be wrong.''

Captain Arjuna Ranatunga Tuesday added his support.

``We're not bothered about what is happening with the authorities,'' he said. ``We're concerned with our cricket.

``We got the umpiring list as soon as we arrived and we're not worried about who umpires.

``Murali has been playing for a long time and never had a problem in the last three years.''

Fernando also claimed the wounds from the 1995-96 tour of Australia had healed.

``The Sri Lankans have played the Australians for the last few months of the last Australian tour and relations have been excellent, there's been nothing to complain about,'' he said.