Muttiah Muralitharan, the world’s highest wicket taker in Tests and ODIs’, has returned to Sri Lanka from England, where he went with his wife Madhimalar Ramamurthy, a Chennai native, to receive an ICC’s Hall of Fame award last week.
The couple didn’t wait there to witness Sri Lanka’s crucial match against Pakistan on Monday. Pakistan won the match by beating Lankans by three wickets and entered into the semi-final.
“Murali was delighted to be honoured at the Oval because this ground, where he took 16 wickets against England in 1998, has remained his favourite. It is a special place for an honourable award,” said Madhi, speaking exclusively over her mobile from Sri Lanka, hours after her return.
“The ICC called Murali few months ago and requested whether he could receive this award at the Oval,” she adds. Murali is the first cricketer from Sri Lanka to have received this honour.
“We would treat the trophy as a pinnacle of his success and achievements, and hang it in his trophy room. I felt and always will feel very proud of Murali, a very honourable person who has used his God-given talent to the fullest and has once again put Sri Lanka on the world map,” she further added.
“I would like to add, accolades and awards are direct acknowledgement for a person’s unshakable perseverance and hard work — but heart-felt blessings, good wishes and genuine love from friends and family is what nourishes a person’s soul and leads him to his spiritual destination,” she shared. “I am very grateful to all my friends and family for being such a beautiful blessings in our life. Thank you guys!” an ecstatic Madhi signed off.
