Date-stamped : 11 Jan96 - 22:33 Gaveskar defends `Murali` India`s master batsman Sunil Gaveskar is the latest world cricket star who has come forward to defend the controversial Sri Lanka Test spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. The former Indian Test star turned commentator and cricket columnist hit out at Australian umpire Darrell Hair for being inconsistent in no-balling the 23- year-old Lankan off spinner and believed officials had over- stepped their authority in asking the bowler to modify his ac- tion. Gaveskar, who has scored a record number of 34 Test centuries, said It is astonishing that Hair should call the odd ball from Muralitharan as a throw and allow the others as legal. adding there is no bowler in the world who has different actions for different balls at the point of releasing the ball. He also pointed his finger at the International Cricket Council (ICC) for asking Muralitharan to modify his action so that his career is not affected. "It`s like telling a batsman who has scored off 1,000 deliveries from the same shot,not to play it because he has got out seven times. The percentages are just not right," he said. Source:: Lake House/Lanka Internet Services Contributed by vg (vpg0001@jove.acs.unt.edu)