Don't bowl deliveries that violate 15-degree rule: Muttiah Muralitharan

NEW DELHI: With ICC cracking down heavily on spinners with suspect action, SunRisers Hyderabad bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan feels youngsters should try to bowl deliveries that come naturally to them.

Kolkata Knight Riders turned lucky before IPL after ace spinner Sunil Narine was cleared by the BCCI to bowl in the competition. Muralitharan, who has bagged a record 800 Test scalps, had a note of caution for youngsters ---to bowl within their limitations.

"There is a certain degree of bend allowed and if you can't spin the ball within that rule, then you simply can't do it. So if they can't bowl that delivery but still try do that, then it's trouble. If you can bowl with a 15 degree bend then it's fine, if you can't, just don't bowl it," the Sri Lankan spin legend told PTI in an interview.

"Everyone cannot hit shots like Gayle. So similarly while bowling, you can't imitate what others are doing because you might get into trouble. Like batsmen will get out while imitating a Gayle shot. These youngsters watch somebody on TV and then try and imitate it. But that doesn't work. Somethings come naturally to you. Nobody can bowl a slider as well as Shane Warne can do. Some genius can do that but if you can't just don't do it," he added.

The 42-year-old Murali, who has been a part of Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore as a player in the previous editions, asserts that spinners play a big part in T20 cricket.

"In every format of the game, be it ODIs, T20 or Test cricket, you need spinners. Spinners form an important composition of your team. Every team has two or three spinners, especially in T20 cricket you have more spinners. Because spinners have more chance of getting a wicket and hence they will continue to play a big role in the shortest format," he said.