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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Freezii" data-source="post: 8541288" data-attributes="member: 314153">New role but same old Murali           <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2010/content/story/482525.html#" target="_blank">    Peter English</a>      October 19, 2010       <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2010/content/story/482525.html#comments" target="_blank">Comments: 76</a>    |           <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2010/content/story/482525.html#fcomments" target="_blank">Login via</a> <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2010/content/story/482525.html#fcomments" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/connect_fb_icon.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a> |       Text size:    A    | A                    <img src="http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/119100/119112.2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />                 Kumar Sangakkara loves having Muttiah Muralitharan in his side     © AFP                              Enlarge                                   <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2010/content/player/49636.html" target="_blank">Muttiah Muralitharan's</a>  team-mates expect no lessening of the offspinner's powers as he begins  life as an international limited-overs specialist. Murali, 38, retired  from Tests in July with a record 800 wickets and after taking a break  has been increasing his load ahead of engagements in Australia over the  next three weeks.    He is part of the squad that has just landed in the country, a place in  which he has often been treated poorly on both sides of the fence. The  captain <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2010/content/player/50710.html" target="_blank">Kumar Sangakkara</a> smiles when he talks about Murali's impact on the team and he will bolster the squad after missing the home tri-series victory <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2010/engine/match/456668.html" target="_blank">in August</a>.   But Sangakkara turns serious when discussing criticism of Murali. "It's  always been unjustifiable if Murali has not been received well in any  country," Sangakkara said. "Just for the bowler he is, the character he  is, he is a wonderful human being. However the fans react to him, or  whether they accept him, it doesn't matter in the long run because the  whole cricketing world love him for who he is. And he's very secure in  that."   Murali was called for throwing at the MCG in 1995-96 and boycotted the  2004 tour here following comments from John Howard, Australia's prime  minister, over his action. While he was adored during the tsunami  fundraising match in Melbourne in 2005, he was part of a Sri Lankan  group that had eggs thrown at it in Hobart two years ago.   "We just want him to enjoy himself and play for as long as he wants to  play and be part of our team," Sangakkara said. "It's a joy to see him  play. For us to have him in our side is a huge boost of confidence."   Murali has come to Australia via South Africa, where he was part of Chennai's Champions League T20 victory, taking <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/t20champions2010/engine/match/465141.html" target="_blank">three wickets</a> in the final.  In 22 ODIs Down Under Murali has <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/49636.html?class=2;home_or_away=2;opposition=2;template=results;type=bowling;view=match" target="_blank">31 victims</a> at 32.70, with the home batsmen usually content to see out his overs.   The coach Trevor Bayliss expects Murali to benefit from his Test-free  workload and not suffer during the transition. "At this stage of his  career having a rest every now and then will be good for him," Bayliss  said. "He's just had a little bit of time off and he's come back from  the Champions League full of beans, and is bowling really well in the  nets."   The Sri Lankans open their tour with a one-day game against Queensland  at the Gabba on Friday and have some more fine-tuning before a Twenty20  in Perth on October 31 and three ODIs the following week. While it is  hard to know what long-term benefits the visitors can achieve from such a  short series, Sangakkara's aims are clear.   "Hopefully we get a victory in the series, that'll be great for us going  forward," he said. "We know how tough it is in Australia. We've been  here before and we're yet to win, this is a great challenge to the  guys."</blockquote>

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