Muttiah Muralitharan tells Saeed Ajmal to be mentally strong

Ross Emerson (R) observes Muttiah Muralitharan’s action closely

Legendary Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has voiced his support for Saeed Ajmal after the Pakistan spinner was suspended from bowling last month, as his action was found to be exceeding the 15 degrees limit last month.

It is no surprise that Muralitharan has backed his fellow off-spinner as the 42-year-old himself had to go through a lot regarding his action during a famed career. The Kandy-born cricketer was infamously no-balled twice in Australia by umpires Darrel Hair and Ross Emerson for chucking, with the latter’s officiating career ending post an incident in 1998.

"It is difficult to say how he would or should cope with it, because it depends on your personality, how strong you are in tacking obstacles that may appear along the way. If you are mentally strong, you will bounce back. If you're weak, you'll be finished," Muralitharan said to cricket.com.au.

The Sri Lankan, who recently worked with the Australian cricket team – in particular Nathan Lyon – ahead of their tour to the UAE to play Pakistan, spoke about how he faced a tough time when he was constantly questioned over his bowling action.

"In my case, I was naturally upset when the allegations were first made against me. After all, you're only a human," said the top wicket-taker in international cricket history.

“However, I believed in myself. I wanted to prove it that I wasn't doing anything wrong. I cleared around six-seven tests during my almost two-decade old career,” he added.