Sri Lanka spin-bowling great Muthiah Muralidaran says Pakistan off-spinner Saaed Ajmal needs to be strong to overcome the chucking suspension that has ruled him out of the upcoming series against Australia.
Ajmal was banned by the International Cricket Council earlier this month after official testing revealed his elbow bend was almost three times the legal limit of 15 degrees.
Muralidaran is no stranger to throwing controversies, having infamously been no-balled twice in the summer of 1995-96 and once in 1998 for an illegal bowling action.
The loose-limbed spinner, who ironically will work with Australia during the Pakistan series as a spin-bowling consultant, had to deal with queries about his action for most of his decorated career.
Despite passing numerous tests and never being suspended, the 42-year-old says it took him time to shake off the criticism.
“In my case, I was naturally upset when the allegations were first made against me,” he told The Times of India.
“After all, you’re only a human.
“However, I believed in myself. I wanted to prove it that I wasn’t doing anything wrong.
“I cleared around six-seven Tests during my almost two-decade old career.”
While he was able to overcome the controversy, he couldn’t say for certain whether or not Ajmal has the mental fortitude to do the same.
“It is difficult to say how he would or should cope with it, because it depends on your personality, how strong you are in tackling obstacles that may appear along the way,” Muralitharan said.
“If you are mentally strong, you will bounce back.
“If you’re weak, you’ll be finished.”
Ajmal is set to complete remedial work on his action in a bid to be cleared to play for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.
