Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has come out in support of Muttiah Muralitharan while the Sri Lankan off-spinner faces fresh allegations of chucking.
Waugh said he hoped a study conducted by an Australian biomechanist into Muralitharan's suspect bowling action cleared him of any wrongdoing.
"I hope for the game's sake that they find he's okay because he's great to watch," Waugh told a luncheon on Wednesday.
"He makes Sri Lanka competitive in world cricket, he gets people through the gate, he gets people talking about cricket.
"They are the sort of players you want in the game."
Waugh, who retired in January as the world's most-capped test player, said he thought Muralitharan's action was legal and he urged cricket authorities to change the existing laws regardless of the study to erase any doubts about his bowling.
"It's like an optical illusion because he has such an unusual action," Waugh said.
"They need to change that rule or to eliminate it, or do something with it so that everyone's relaxed and just get on with playing the game."
Muralitharan (513) is locked in a race with Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne (517) to overtake Courtney Walsh (519) as cricket's leading wicket-taker.
He seems certain to reach the target on the tour of Zimbabwe that begins later this month though his preparations have been hindered after he was reported by match referee Chris Broad after taking 28 wickets in the recent series with Australia.
He was reported and cleared in the 1990s but the new allegation revolve around his 'doosra', a quirky delivery which spins the opposite way to how an off-spinner normally bowls.
Reuters >>