Russel Arnold reveals why Sri Lankan players called Muttiah Muralitharan 'Motor Mouth'

Muttiah Muralitharan is an absolute genius cricketer. He has picked up more than 1,300 international wickets. He is probably the greatest off-spinner to have ever played the game. But, one thing which people say about the legendary spinner, is the fact that he is always talking.

The spinner from Kandy made some really good friends along this journey. Former Sri Lankan cricketer Russell Arnold revealed in an interview that Murali was called ‘Motor Mouth’. He also explained how Muralitharan would annoy players.

“There were plenty of love-hate relationships – fun at times and annoying on other occasions. Speaking of annoying, Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) was most definitely one. He was called MM (Motor Mouth),” Russel Arnold said, during the chat show ‘Homerun with AV’ with sports commentator Arun Venugopal on his YouTube channel.

“At times, when a batsman returned after getting dismissed, he would go and chide him for playing a particular shot. If a batsman were padded up to bat next, he would go up to him and advise him not to play the same shot (and get out),” the Sri Lanka southpaw added.

Muralitharan is a superb human being: Russel Arnold

However, the cricketer turned commentator also expressed how good a player Muralitharan was. He said that he is a superb human being with a great heart. He revealed that the off-spinner was always there whenever anyone needed a friend and whenever someone was in distress.

“He had a top-class influence with his performances. Apart from that, he is a superb human being with a beautiful heart. Murali might say something in the heat of the moment, but within five minutes he would realise that he had been in the wrong. If you are looking for a friend in times of distress, look no further than Muralitharan. He’s a top-class man,” the 46-year-old added.

Russel Arnold was an influential figure himself in the Sri Lankan cricket team. He played 44 Tests, 180 ODIs and only one T20I for Sri Lanka. Muralitharan played much more than Arnold though. The former off-spinner represented Sri Lanka in 133 Tests, 350 ODIs and 12 T20Is.

Here’s the video: