February 03, 2008	Sunday	Muharram 24, 1429

HOBART (Australia), Feb 2: Members of the Sri Lankan cricket squad in Australia for the CB limited-overs series were the target of verbal abuse and had eggs thrown at them on Thursday night in Hobart.

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and a team selector were part of a group walking from a restaurant to the team’s hotel, and the selector was hit on the back by an egg. Therefore, the Sri Lankan board has asked Cricket Australia (CA) to strengthen security around the team.

“Muralitharan, along with one of the selectors and the team masseur, were walking on the street in Hobart when suddenly from nowhere a car passed them and the guy starts abusing,” a source close to the team said.

“He then came back a few more times and repeated this and suddenly he started throwing eggs in their direction. One landed on the back of the selector. The team management has lodged a protest with the cops but fortunately nothing untoward happened on the ground.”

It is not clear whether Muralitharan was the target of the attack, though Sri Lanka’s manager, Sriyan Samararatne, thought it was unlikely, saying it was dark and that the car was travelling at a high speed for recognition.

“I don’t know the exact motive. I doubt whether they recognised Murali but unfortunately he was there,” Samararatne said. “We told CA about it and they were very upset.”

Samararatne, however, added that nothing untoward had occurred when Sri Lanka played a Test in Hobart last November.

Muralitharan’s presence is likely to create some untoward things.

The world’s leading Test wicket-taker has had a hard time in Australia in the past. His action was no-balled early in 1995-96, since when crowds have often jeered him at various venues. The champion bowler reacted by declining to tour Australia in 2004.

However, he returned for Sri Lanka’s series last November when the derisiveness seemed to have lessened.

K Mathivanan, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary, said the board had informed CA about the matter and had asked for their team’s security to be increased.

“We have drawn the attention of CA to this incident. They have already given the team security. But we have asked the authorities whether this can be beefed up further.”—Agencies