Muttiah Muralitharan: 800 Test Wickets
Muttiah Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets — more than any bowler in cricket history. His unique bowling action, off-spin dominance, and consistency over 18 years made him one of cricket's greatest.
Muttiah Muralitharan, born in Kandy, Sri Lanka, in 1972, took 800 Test wickets in 133 Tests at an average of 22.72 — the most wickets by any bowler in Test cricket history. He also took 534 ODI wickets. His combined 1,347 international wickets remains a record unlikely to be beaten. Despite persistent controversy about his bowling action, Muralitharan was cleared by the ICC and by biomechanical testing — and his impact on Sri Lankan cricket was transformational.
Bowling Action Controversy
Muralitharan's bent elbow — a congenital condition that prevented him from fully straightening his arm — was reported for throwing by Australian umpires in 1995. The ICC investigated and cleared him. Independent biomechanical testing at the University of Western Australia in 2004 showed that his elbow flexion remained within the 15-degree limit permitted under ICC law. The controversy followed him for his entire career, but scientific evidence consistently supported his legality.
The Doosra
Muralitharan developed the doosra — an off-spinner's delivery that turns the opposite way from leg to off, like a leg-spinner's ball — and mastered it earlier than any other bowler. The doosra (Urdu for 'other one') turned away from right-handed batters when bowled by an off-spinner, introducing an additional dimension that batters struggled to counter even with the knowledge it was coming.
Conditions and Opposition
Muralitharan took wickets in every Test-playing nation, in all conditions. His effectiveness in Asia was expected, but his record in England, Australia, and South Africa — nations where off-spin rarely dominates — was remarkable. He had exceptional dip, drift, and turn, combined with the pace variation that allowed him to beat batters through the air as well as off the pitch.
800th Wicket — Pragyan Ojha at Galle
Muralitharan took his 800th and final Test wicket in his final Test match — Sri Lanka vs India at Galle in July 2010, his home ground. The wicket (Pragyan Ojha lbw) was taken in the first innings of the match — Muralitharan had announced it would be his last. The Galle crowd erupted. He was carried around the ground. His 800 wickets came in his 133rd Test — he averaged one wicket for every 3.6 overs of his career.
Frequently asked questions
Who has taken the most wickets in Test cricket?
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record with 800 Test wickets at an average of 22.72. Shane Warne is second with 708.
What is the doosra in cricket?
The doosra is an off-spinner's delivery that turns from leg to off (the opposite of the standard off-break) — invented and perfected by Saqlain Mushtaq and used devastatingly by Muralitharan. It is produced with a different wrist position and deceives batters who expect the ball to turn the other way.
Was Muralitharan's bowling action legal?
Yes. Muralitharan was reported twice for a suspect action but cleared after independent biomechanical testing by the ICC in 1996 and 2004. Testing confirmed his elbow flexion was within permitted limits — it appeared to straighten due to a congenital condition that made his arm unable to fully straighten at rest.