West Indies legend Brian Lara has weighed in on the age-old debate of who was the better bowler between Australian Shane Warne and Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan. While acknowledging the immense pressure Muralitharan exerted, Lara ultimately picked Warne as the best bowler he ever faced.

Speaking on The Overlap and Betfair's 'Stick to Cricket' show, Lara explained his reasoning. He admitted that Muralitharan caused him significant confusion early in his innings. "I'd walk out to bat against Murali, and I'm confused. The first half an hour of Murali, I'd be confused," Lara stated. He further elaborated that "Murali gave me more pressure than Shane". Lara has previously said that he struggled to read Muralitharan during the initial phase of his innings, often resorting to sweeping and taking a single to get off strike while he got accustomed to the bowler's variations.

However, Lara's assessment shifted when discussing Warne. "But I'd walk out to bat against Shane, the ball would be coming off the middle, every ball, and then about 2pm, 3pm, he just produces this magical delivery, or spell," Lara said. This highlights Warne's ability to create match-winning moments seemingly out of nowhere. Lara emphasized Warne's mental strength and ability to perform even on pitches that favored fast bowlers like Glenn McGrath. "And that's why I rate him higher, because I think he was mentally stronger, and obviously with his bowling attack and the pitches that he bowled on, which favoured the McGraths [and other fast bowlers], for him to pick up that amount of wickets, [is] very special," Lara explained.

Lara had also said that he got very good at playing spin because of tennis ball cricket. He said that playing with tennis balls allowed players to chuck the ball and turn it a mile, which helped him understand how to play spin from an early age.

Both Warne and Muralitharan have impressive records. Warne took 708 wickets in 145 Test matches, while Muralitharan holds the record for the most Test wickets with 800. Warne relied on catches and LBW dismissals more than Muralitharan, while Muralitharan got more catches through close-in fielders. Warne was also considered a more valuable player away from the bowling crease, with a higher batting average and more catches per Test match.

Ultimately, Lara's preference seems to stem from Warne's ability to produce moments of brilliance and his mental fortitude in challenging conditions. While Muralitharan may have posed more initial difficulties, Warne's overall impact and ability to conjure up match-winning spells gave him the edge in Lara's eyes.