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Notebook Murali's at it again
Posted: Thursday June 17, 1999 04:31 PM
LONDON (AP) -- His Sri Lankan team already eliminated from the World Cup after losing its title, mesmerizing spinner Muttiah Muralitharan continued his amazing start to his county championship career on Thursday, taking his total to 24 wickets in only four innings. Murali, who took 14 wickets in a game for Lancashire against Warwickshire last week, captured six for 87 against league leader Surrey at the Oval and has taken four for 42 so far in Surrey's second innings. He hopes to finish off the job on Friday when Surrey, 121 for six, still needs 36 to win with four wickets left.
Page 3 BoucherLONDON (AP) -- South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher is the first World Cup player to be caught in a London tabloid paper "sting".Boucher was drinking at a London nightclub and a girl came up and spoke to him. She asked whether she could get her photo taken with him and Boucher obliged. But just before the photo was taken the girl, to Boucher's astonishment, lifted her top up. As soon as the photo was taken the girl turned and walked out of the club and said to Boucher "see you in the press". Boucher immediately reported it to team management who told him he had nothing to worry about. Boucher was unfazed by the incident but that hasn't stopped him being first man to breakfast in the morning to see whether he has made an unwanted appearance on page three.
Pakistan travel headachesMANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Despite playing brilliant cricket to make the World Cup final, the Pakistan cricketers are becoming something of a headache for team organizers.While all other teams were happy to take buses up and down the country, Pakistan insisted on catching a plane from the south of England to Newcastle for its game against Scotland in Durham. And when the bus to pick them up was five minutes late they caught cabs to the team hotel at Durham -- and charged the cabs to the bus company.
Operatic OlongoMANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Zimbabwe fast bowler Henry Olonga has been swamped with offers to parade his talents in England -- as a singer.Apart from being a champion athlete and a promising fast bowler, Olonga is a high class tenor. After bursting into the spotlight with three wickets in an over in the win over India he spoke of his fascinating life and his love of singing. "People see my dreadlocked hairstyle and think I would prefer reggae but I much prefer Gilbert and Sullivan," he said. Since this information was published Olonga has received several offers from choral societies and small time English musicals for him to join them when his tour finishes. Olonga, who has been clocked at 10.4 seconds for the 100 meters, could have represented Zimbabwe as a relay runner or soccer player but he chose cricket. "I just love the history and ethos associated with the game," he said.
Living up to reputationsMANCHESTER, England (AP) -- There have been plenty of big reputations cut down to size during cricket's World Cup. But Pakistani paceman Shoaib Akhtar has lived up to his billing as the world's fastest bowler.Throughout the tournament there has not been one dissenting voice to the widely acknowledged belief that he is the quickest man on the planet. Australian great Allan Border said as much when he was watching a slow-motion replay of a Shoaib yorker against New Zealand in the semifinal. "Even in slow motion it looks to be going about 80 miles per hour," Border said.
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