Do you support his decision?

Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan has put up with years of taunts from Australian fans about his bowling action.

But after an incident at the end of Sri Lanka's day-night match against Australia in Brisbane, it seems he may have had enough.

Sections of the crowd booed and jeered him as he limped from the field of play with a thigh strain.

Calling the fans' behaviour 'disgusting', Murali now says he feels like never playing in Australia again.

Is he right to protest?

This debate is now closed. A selection of your comments appear below.

He is right about not returning to Australia.

However he chucks, no question about it. Yes he has a bent arm, however his coaches should have never allowed him to bowl, way early in his career. Off spin bowling is the most natural form of spin bowling for right handed bowlers.

If there is any doubt about this simplest form of spin then he should not be allowed to bowl in any form of Cricket, it is unfair to other players.
Ajit S, Gokhale, USA

I was at the match and was rather appalled at the behaviour of one section of the crowd. For Murali not to return to Australia would be a shame and playing in to the hands of the section of the crowd that was heckling him.

As a true professional and a star in his chosen trade he should return to play in Australia and let his bowling do the talking.
Ajanthi Ranasinghe, Australia

Murali is far from the best bowler of all time. Far from a bowler even. He is a chucker and should expect a hard time. Just because he has an elbow defect is no excuse to chuck. If he can't bowl properly he shouldn't be out there.

Anyone ditching the ball down the pitch is going to get a lot of wickets. The umpires are all scared to call him because of the treatment they will receive from the ICC.
Mo, UK in Aus

The Australians are 'the' most uncivilised cricketing nation. They, the supporters, players and the umpires will do everything they can to undermine any cricketer that has the ability to crash them.

I think we should be discussing whether the Aussie supporters should have been kicked out of the ground, not Muralitharan. He is a very strong man - it needs something special to stand up to the abuse of the Australians.

They just can't handle that he is an absolute star performer! R Shome, UK

Think about Brett Lee, the Barmy Army booed him, and the whole Australian team talks about proper behaviour, where are they now??

I think they need proper education. And they need to grow up to the fact that there are and will always be players who will outplay them. There is no shame in losing to Muralitharan. Lose with grace....
Shahed, UK

Yes he is right, the Aussie louts would not say anything to other teams, for some reason they feel saying those things to Sri Lankans is acceptable. They just can't handle that he is an absolute star performer!
R Shome, UK

I think it is perfectly OK for Murali to take a stand about not touring Australia in future. He may have a suspect bowling action because of his natural defect in his bowling arm.

But once the ICC has cleared him, I think the rest of the cricketing world and the fans have absolutely no right to jeer him.
Narasimham AVSL, India

Murali's feelings are understandable. He is upset and disgusted at the conduct of the Australian crowd. But he will be playing into their hands if he lives up to his word - that's what the Aussies want - to prevent him playing well (or at all) against them.

The last few years of Aussie success is at least partly due to their being world champions in the art of heckling. Sachin's a great batsman - so upset his concentration with heckling.

Does the fault lie with Murali's action or with the Australians' double standards? Anita K, India

What the Australian rowdy elements have done is to take heckling to another level. Murali - don't give in. Most cricket-lovers want to see you and Shane - the other world-class spinner - fight it out for eventual first place in Test cricket history as the bowler with the highest number of wickets.
Harinder Jadwani, India/Canada

Brett Lee has a more suspect action than Murali. Can you imagine if one of the Aussie players was taunted in the same manner in Sri Lanka or anywhere else bar Australia, we wouldn't hear the end of it. Aussies just love moaning. Murali should let his bowling do the talking.
Haroon, UK

Murali's stand is understandable. When you are hounded for years by the umpires, players and fans of a particular country, the question has to be asked - does the fault lie with Murali's action or with the Australians' sense of double standards?

For the fans of the best cricketing nation to heckle one of the best players to have graced this beautiful game is more than just a 'disgrace'.

But I do agree with Bill in that Murali must keep playing the Aussies and make them bite the dust. That might just make the Aussies learn something about humility. But that is perhaps too much to ask?
Anita K, India

Firstly, Murali has been cleared by professionals so Rob, England should take note that they are probably more qualified to make judgements than fans. So therefore he does not break the rules.

Secondly, how come the Aussies are so quick to defend Brett Lee getting heckled once in a while but they don't stop their own fans from going at Murali every match he plays there? Leave the bloke alone, he is a class performer and we should feel privileged we are watching cricketing history.
Sumran Choudrey, UK

If he is a true fighter, he needs to shut up and get on with the game Suresh, USA

If Murali does not return to Australia, the "supporters" will have won in that they have removed a real threat to their success. Murali would have won greater respect had he let his cricket do the talking.

That being said, the Australians do have a rather boorish set of fans - perhaps an alcohol ban in the ground as a punishment might be considered.
Alex Workman, UK

Banter is one thing but as Murali says, seven years of consistent abuse must be hard to take. As for the comparison with football, it's not quite the same - standing still for three hours about 10 yards from the idiots shouting abuse must be torture - unlike a football match when the player can at least get out of earshot.
Tim, England

His arm action is at best questionable. He is eradicating from the record books the claims of great clean bowlers. The umpires are correct to no-ball him. The crowd are correct to show their discord. He is more suited to baseball than cricket!
Simon Ellis, Thailand

All professionals should be tough enough to take some verbal abuse from the crowd. Murali needs to question himself about whether his action is legal. If he feels he is not chucking, he should learn to ignore such comments from crowds.

If he is a true fighter, he needs to shut up and get on with the game, in fact with more passion and focus to teach the Aussies to be more respectful of what he can do to batsmen around the world.

On the other hand, if Murali himself has lingering doubts about the legality of his action, he needs to come clean or retire gracefully from playing international cricket.
Suresh, USA

The point has been missed here. The crowd were not booing Murali out of spite or anything to do with his bowling action. They were simply objecting to him going off the field supposedly injured only to then come back on and bowl his remaining overs before immediately leaving the field again. If you can bowl you aren't injured.
Andrew Everett, England

I love cricket and love to see Murali bowling. He is one of the greatest bowlers I have seen (no wonder Wisden picked him as the bowler of the century).

I don't understand why most teams have problems when they travel to Australia. My advice to Murali is to go back to Australia and shut their mouths with his performance. I am sure he is one of those few who can do that.
Joe Fox, Canada

I am rather surprised with the Australian crowd. I think they should ban the alcohol from the ground. We hear lot of abuse of foreign and coloured players in the football and they are taking action on banning alcohol from the grounds. This will prevent future angry abuse and they should introduce similar principle for cricket.
Sid Rajan, Holland

Surely the best response he could give is to keep going to Australia and bowling the Aussies out Bill, UK

Though the announcement by Murali seems tough, I think he is right in voicing his anger over continued criticism and rough treatment in Australia.
I Jafri, United Kingdom

Neither Murali, nor any other player, should have to put up with constant abuse and if he decides not to go to Australia again they will be the ones to miss out. It is not every day that you see a player of his incredible talents.
Sanj, UK

Surely these players are all professionals and should be able to put up with barracking now and then. Footballers suffer it all the time, it's part of the game. Cricket may be viewed as a more gentlemanly sport but why should a crowd keep quiet about what's going on in the game? The Australians complaining about the Barmy Army is just as ridiculous, like footballers they should be concentrating on the game.
Adam Chamberlain, England

I understand and support Muralitharan's stand but surely the best response he could give is to keep going to Australia and bowling the Aussies out. Let's face it, he's one of the few bowlers in the world who can.
Bill, UK

I would hate to think bowlers in the future are taught to copy Murali's action. Cricket is a beautiful game and just because he is a slow bowler, he has been able to get away with an illegal action. There are far more talented cricketers being knocked off the record books by a man who bends the rules as well as his arm. The Australian crowd may be being harsh but they are being fair.
Rob, England

Get on with it and bowl your overs, you might not get invited back Simon, Australia

Murali is completely right to complain. The hypocrisy of Australian cricket astounds me. When England fans taunted Brett Lee during the Ashes series, the likes of Ponting were quick to dub the English fans as a disgrace. Yet when it is their own supporters delivering the abuse Ponting is nowhere to be seen. It seems to me like a severe case of double standards
Shaun, Bury, Lancs

Murali is probably better off not going to Australia again given all the baggage with Aussie umpires who seem reluctant to 'no-ball' Brett Lee, but take glee in finding fault with overseas bowlers. Hypocrisy springs to mind.
Rehan, UK

Abuse is just part of the game but when it goes on too long it becomes unacceptable. In football when it becomes too much the clubs and authorities take action, barring fans or fining clubs. The same should be done with Australia so that they can clean up their filth or suffer the consequences.
Imran, England

Murali is without question, the best off spinner of all time and yet the fans don't realise that. The Sri Lankan fans could taunt the Australian fast bowler Brett Lee as he has a suspect action as well, but Murali has been already cleared. You don't get Sri Lankan fans taunting Brett Lee now do you?
Zubair Ibrahim, England

Justin Langer - are you out there? Please can you share your opinions with the world on what you think to this episode. Is it ok now it is drunken, loutish Aussie fans rather than the Poms?
Simon, UK

This behaviour is really disgusting from the Australians Prasantha, Dubai

Muralitharan was also giving pelters to the crowd so he should allow for a bit of give and take, or is he so precious? Get on with it. However, if the comments were racist then that is a different matter. But otherwise, get a life and get on with it and bowl your overs. You might not get invited back.
Simon, Australia

He should take it as a backhanded compliment. If he wasn't a fantastic wicket taker the Australian public wouldn't bother with him!
David Pearce, England

This behaviour is really disgusting from the Australians. The team and the crowd can never take defeat. If he was not taking wickets no one would have cared. Remember he was only called in Australia, nowhere else. Not only Murali but no Asian team should play in Australia.
Prasantha, Dubai

It's really sad that such an accomplished bowler and one who has been named by Wisden as the best ever has to undergo such uncouth behaviour. Murali has nothing to prove to anyone anymore. His position in history is confirmed and he has earned the respect of his peers. The Aussies don't really deserve to see his magic if they pursue such antics.
John Hardy, UK

Murali could only expect such treatment in Australia. A small minority of their crowds are notorious for taking things too far, like their umpires and players unfortunately. Win at all costs is first, then sportsmanship second.
Anand Reddy, UK

It was funny the first couple of times but after that it just got silly and annoying Richard Bowman, Scotland

Murali is correct, he shouldn't play there till Australian government takes action.
Rajan, USA

What a way to respect a player than to taunt him, and be pleased that he gets injured. Maybe it's high time the Indian sub-continent do it to the Aussies, lets see how they will like it.
Humair Malik, UK

Like the Barmy Army's taunting of Brett Lee, it was funny the first couple of times but after that it just got silly and annoying.

The problem now seems to be everyone has a pop at everyone else's bad behaviour whilst ignoring their own.

The Sri Lankans and Murali may feel hard done by from the Aussie crowd, but they won few friends with their capers to get Murali on and bowling and off again.

Bowling nine balls in 15 minutes will certainly stop the crowd barracking you - there won't be a crowd either awake or left to watch you. That said, Darren Lehmann's behaviour was totally without defence.
Richard Bowman, Scotland

It's disgusting that the greatest cricketing nation on the planet allows such abuse to take place. Muralitharan's bowling action has been cleared by the highest authorities in the cricketing world, but still the Australians with their superiority complex continue to abuse him.

Muralitharan is a great player and good on him for taking his stand. If the Australians want to salvage any honour that remains they should attempt to rectify the reactions of their fans.
Amin Ibrar, England