Murali still a star turn at 41

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ONE of cricket's all time greatest double acts, the Murali-Warnie spin bowling masterclass, is over at last - well, half-over.

Shane Warne, 44, has 99 per cent certainly (he is fond of saying "never say never") played his last match at any elite level after declining to return for a third season with the Melbourne Stars in the T20 Big Bash.

But Mutiah Muralidaran, 41, rolls on and on, having - not for the first time - left Warnie in his wake.

Although Warne is most people's choice as the greatest spin bowler ever - and rightly so - the fact remains that the controversial Sri Lankan off-spinner took almost 100 more Test wickets (800 to 708) and almost twice as many in one-day internationals (534 to 293) for a grand total of 1334 to 1001.

And when Murali turned out for the Melbourne Renegades in last summer's Big Bash, he clearly outperformed Warne, taking 11 wickets at an average of 17.36 and economy rate of 5.96 compared to four wickets at 39.75 and 7.93.

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Warne's well-paid stint as the face of the fledgling Big Bash was a mixed blessing.

He was entertaining and engaging and certainly generated a lot of attention, which was the point of the exercise, but his exit was ugly with a suspension for throwing a ball at Renegades player Marlon Samuels, a rebuke for fiddling with the bona fides of the captaincy and a couple of disastrous decisions that cost the Stars their semi-final.

His contribution had run its race and it was time to go, this time permanently - so he did.

In Warne's absence tonight, Murali will be all the more welcome at the MCG, a stadium he has not graced all that often since the traumatic day in 1995 when he was first no-balled for allegedly chucking in Test cricket.

For the Renegades, his modestly-remunerated presence is priceless - and not only for the most obvious reason, that he remains a superb bowler.

Muttiah Muralitharan has been a positive influence on his Renegades teammates. Source: News Limited

His personality, experience and knowledge of the game are huge assets, according to captain Aaron Finch, who admits to being slightly overawed by the prospect of overseeing such a superstar as a rookie leader last year.

He found a simple solution: "I just let him go and he can do what he wants," Finch said yesterday.

"It's generally pretty set when he comes on and he looks to take wickets through the middle stages, which is what you really want. That can stall a lot of momentum.

"He's got a great feel for the game and he loves to impart his knowledge to anyone who will listen to him. Even if an opposition player asks him something he will sit down with them for a chat.

"He does talk a lot and he's a little pest around the dressing room - but it's fantastic.

"The energy and enthusiasm he brings, you'd think he was a 15-year-old kid in his first season."

Finch said the biggest lesson he had learned from the ever-smiling, good-humoured veteran was the importance of staying relaxed and positive even when things aren't going well.

Muttiah Muralitharan demonstrates that infamous bowling action Source: News Limited

"He understands, as we all do, that T20 is a game in which you can't win 'em all," Finch said.

"He says to just not stress and enjoy the game - try hard but at the same time don't get too down when things don't go your way.

"He is a fantastic calming influence."

Murali's other contribution is that he has been known to arrive at recovery sessions the day after a match with 15 or so tupperware containers of very tasty curry, which his mother - who sometimes travels with him and his wife and son - has cooked in their hotel suite.

So one way and another, the boys in red are making a meal of their famous friend's presence.

ron.reed@news.com.au

twitter: @Reedrw

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