New Warne-Muralitharan trophy
Australia start a new era without Shane Warne
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Saturday, 03, Nov 2007 08:51
The winners of the upcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and Australia will be awarded with the newly-made Warne-Muralitharan trophy.
Brisbane is the host for the opening Test on Thursday and another one follows in Hobart on November 16th. The new trophy has been created to celebrate 25 years of Test cricket between the two teams.
It also celebrates the achievements of the two most successful bowlers in the history of international cricket. Australian Warne retired in January with a haul of 708 Test wickets to his name while Sri Lankan Muralitharan is only eight behind him and could pass him in this series.
A Cricket Australia statement said: "The two greatest bowlers in world cricket history have lent their names to a perpetual prize that will be played for in Test series between Australia and Sri Lanka."
Warne was a fulcrum of the Australian team which dominated world cricket for over a decade. He is seen by many as the greatest spinner the game has ever seen, but the enigmatic star was quick to pay tribute to Muralitharan, a fellow spinner.
"We've had some great battles in the past and helped raise each other's game to the heights that we've reached," said Warne.
"The rivalry between Australia and Sri Lanka has grown immeasurably over the last decade and I know my former Australian team-mates will be super keen to be the first country to win the trophy when they do battle."
It will be interesting to see how Muralitharan will be treated by the Australian public on this tour. He has subjected to abuse from Australian fans in the past over allegations of throwing.