Murali - A Wicket Machine

We have heard the term 'Run Machine'. But this word 'Wicket Machine' is new and it can be applied only to the 'Big Eye' Murali, a Srilankan Tamil. For the past year or so, he has been picking wickets at will without much effort. He is not even celebrating when he saw a batsmen taking a long walk back to the pavilion. Even if he celebrates, it looks very artificial. He is not a conventional off spinner like Prasanna (Not me ) or John Emburey. Being an off spinner, he doesn't have the same variety as a leg spinner, say Shane Warne. Sometimes he is negative. He doesn't give any loop once the batsmen start to attack him. In all aspects he is very unconventional. Still he has 54 fifers and 17 tenfers in test cricket. Not to forget about the 350+ victims he has in ODI. Initially his effort was going in vain. But now he is definitely a match winner.

But the what makes him so perilous???

Every batsmen know that they are going to get a big off spinner or a Doosra (which any good batsmen can pick from his length. He always pitches the ball in off stump or middle if he wants to deliver a doosra. He never possesses a acute angled offies. So if he pitches it in the middle or off, its going to be a doosra) Still they aren't able to play him. Even Indians, though he has less number of test matches against us, are not that much comfortable against this spin wizard as they are against the 'Hollywood'.

To me Shane looks to be a better bowler and better entertainer than Murali. But what is it that Murali has that Shane doesn't? 'cause of which Murali is able to imitate or even better Shane's achievement with less effort, less thinking, less sledging (infact no sledging) and less pangs.

Any comments on this....