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Muttiah Muralitharan is arguably the greatest spinner to have ever played the game of cricket. His numbers across formats are surreal. The number of matches he has won for Sri Lanka with his remarkable bowling skills as an off-spinner is mind-boggling. The 54-year-old has several records to his name in international cricket. He has the most international wickets and also the most Test and ODI scalps.
In 495 international matches, Muralitharan has a whopping 1347 wickets at an average of 22.86. This includes 77 five-wicket hauls.
In ODI cricket, Muralitharan has 534 wickets in 350 matches. He has the most five-wicket hauls among spinners. The legendary bowler also holds the record for dismissing the most number of batters for a duck in ODI cricket.
However, his Test career is even more stellar. Muralitharan has a whopping 800 wickets in 133 Tests. He has picked up 67 five-wicket hauls, which is the most in the longest format. Shane Warne is second with 37. As far as 10-wicket match hauls are concerned, Muralitharan leads the list, having achieved the feat 22 times, 12 more than the second-best, Warne. Muralitharan also has the most wickets taken at home grounds: 493 Test wickets in Sri Lanka. He is also the fastest to reach 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, and 750 Test wickets (in terms of matches played). He is the only bowler to take at least one five-for against every Test-playing nation during his time. Muralitharan also spent the longest time as the top-ranked Test bowler in the ICC rankings (1,711 days and spanning 213 Test matches).
Muralitharan’s 800th Test wicket is one of the most iconic and dramatic moments in cricket history. During the first Test between India and Sri Lanka in July 2010 at the Galle International Stadium, Muralitharan had decided to retire from the red-ball format. He needed eight wickets in the encounter to get to the 800-wicket mark. No other bowler had done it till then, making the occasion all the more special.
In India’s first innings, the spin wizard finished with figures of 5/63, forcing India to follow-on. In India’s second innings, the Kandy-born needed only three more wickets to enter the elusive 800-club. On Day 4 and Day 5, Muralitharan took two quick wickets. India’s last-wicket pair of Pragyan Ojha and Ishant Sharma batted for almost 15 overs, frustrating the Sri Lankan players and fans who were getting anxious to celebrate a comprehensive win. In the 116th over, Muralitharan flighted an off-break that Ojha edged to Mahela Jayawardene at slip.
Sri Lanka needed just 95 runs to win in the fourth innings. Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed an unbeaten 68 off 47 balls to help the hosts register a one-sided 10-wicket win alongside Tharanga Paranavitana.
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