Andrew Symonds on Saturday urged Australian cricket fans not to taunt Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan if he passes Shane Warne's Test wicket world record while touring Down Under this year. Australian crowds have regularly abused "Murali" since he was twice called for throwing, with even Prime Minister John Howard labelling him a chucker.
There are fears the harassment, which led to the spinner boycotting a tour Down Under in 2004, will intensify if he eclipses Shane Warne's 708 Test wicket haul on Australian soil later this year.
Australian all-rounder Symonds, Muralitharan's former teammate at English county side Lancashire, said he would be embarrassed if the Australian crowds failed to acknowledge his achievement. "I just hope the beer drinkers in the sun don't give him a hard time and late one afternoon if he breaks the record they start on him," Symonds told Australian Associated Press.
"I hope that doesn't happen, I hope people can stand up and actually applaud him for what he is - a legend." Muralitharan has 700 Test wickets and is likely to overtake Warne's 708 in one of the two Tests between Sri Lanka and home side Australia in November.
Symonds said if Murali snared the record, he did not want the Australian crowd to sour the moment. "Definitely it would be embarrassing for us as a team if they didn't (applaud him)," Symonds told AAP. "We respect him for his skills and for what he has done and I think it would be rude, straight out rude, if they didn't sort of respect him and give him the pat on the back he deserves."