 Muralitharan is currently nursing a shoulder injury |
Muttiah Muralitharan hopes he will be allowed to bowl his controversial new delivery again after an international review of illegal bowling. Muralitharan was told not to use his "doosra" delivery, which behaves like a leg-break, after it was reported.
But he hopes an International Cricket Council bowling action review panel, which met this week, will allow a greater bending of the arm.
"I sincerely believe I will be allowed to bowl the doosra again," he said.
Muralitharan, who is currently nursing a shoulder injury, saw his world record of 532 Test wickets overtaken by Shane Warne during Australia's series in India.
He told the Island newspaper: "If I had bowled that particular delivery, I would have got more wickets and the team would have enjoyed more victories.
"But unfortunately that wasn't so and I am keeping my fingers crossed."
In June, Sri Lanka Cricket asked the ICC to change laws in a bid to end controversy over the doosra delivery. SLC president Mohan de Silva said it had asked the ICC to increase the tolerance limits on the angle of the bowling arm to 15 degrees
The current allowable range is five degrees for spinners and 10 for pace bowlers.
But physiological scrutiny showed an initial straightening of the arm by 14 degrees, which after remedial work was reduced to 10 degrees, in Muralitharan's doosra action.
The review committee is made up of former international cricketers Aravinda de Silva, Angus Fraser, Michael Holding, Tony Lewis, Tim May and David Richardson.
ICC general manager Richardson, who chaired the meeting, said they would produce a report to be considered by the ICC Cricket Committee in November.
"It has been a big help to have this matter discussed by such a well-qualified group of former international cricketers," Richardson added.
"This is only the first step in the review process and as the matter is still to be discussed by the full Cricket Committee it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this stage."