This New York Times story is mostly about M.I.A.’s pro-Tamil sympathies, and how they’ve affected her rep back in her native Sri Lanka. (M.I.A.’s family was forced to flee to Britain due to her father’s political activities.) But the kicker touches on cricket, when a Colombo-based musician observes that ethnic differences tend to disappear on the pitch.
And how. In fact, the greatest Sri Lankan cricketeer of all time is a Tamil: Muttiah Muralitharan. The son a biscuit maker, Murali (as he’s best known) is a record-setting bowler, whose success is due in part due to a birth defect; he is unable to straighten his arm completely, which causes his throws to vibrate like mad.
More on Murali’s unusual anatomy (and the controversy it’s created) can be found here. And check him out demolishing Bangladesh (figuratively) here.
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