Muttiah Muralitharan Explained: 800 Test Wickets, Doosra, and Cricket's Most Controversial Bowling Action
Muttiah Muralitharan's career — 800 Test wickets at 22.72 average (the most in Test history), the doosra (the off-spinner that turns the other way), the throwing controversy and ICC biomechanical testing (cleared twice), his final Test wicket vs India at the Galle International Stadium 2010, and why his action polarises cricket opinion.
Muttiah Muralitharan (born April 17, 1972, Kandy, Sri Lanka) is the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history: 800 wickets from 133 Tests at an average of 22.72 (the most wickets at the lowest average among bowlers with 300+ Test wickets). He is also the highest ODI wicket-taker: 534 wickets from 350 ODIs at 23.08. His combined international wicket tally (Tests + ODIs + T20Is) exceeds 1,300 — a total no other bowler has approached. Muralitharan is unanimously regarded as the greatest off-spin bowler in cricket history, though controversy about his bowling action defined much of his career.
The Action Controversy: Was It Throwing?
Cricket Law 24 (Bowling) prohibits a bowler from straightening the elbow more than 15 degrees during the delivery action (this is the definition of illegal delivery). A straight-arm delivery is legal; a bent-and-straightened elbow (which adds power and spin) is illegal. The controversy: (1) Muralitharan's bowling action, particularly when bowling the doosra (the off-spinner's delivery that turns the opposite way to the stock ball), appeared to show elbow straightening to many observers. Australian umpires called him for throwing in the 1995 Boxing Day Test at Melbourne — umpire Darrell Hair called him 7 times in 4 overs. The match was stopped; (2) ICC biomechanical testing (1996 and 2004): the ICC commissioned laboratory biomechanical testing of Muralitharan's action. The results: Muralitharan has a congenital physical condition (his forearm cannot straighten fully — his 'straight arm' appears bent to observers because of his hyper-mobile wrist). His elbow does straighten during delivery, but the ICC's 2004 testing (updated Laws) measured it within the new 15-degree tolerance limit for all bowlers. He was cleared of throwing on both occasions; (3) The broader controversy: the ICC's 2004 15-degree straightening allowance (up from 5-10 degrees in previous Laws) was criticised as rule-bending to accommodate Muralitharan specifically. The truth is more complex: biomechanical research showed that most international bowlers — including fast bowlers — straighten their elbows up to 14 degrees naturally, a fact invisible to the human eye. The 15-degree law made consistent, objective enforcement possible.
The Doosra: The Delivery That Changed Spin Bowling
The doosra (Urdu: 'the other one') is an off-spinner's delivery that turns the opposite way to the stock off-break: an off-spinner's normal ball (off-break) turns from off to leg (for a right-handed batsman). The doosra turns from leg to off — away from the right-handed batsman. Before Muralitharan developed and popularised the doosra, off-spin bowling had a predictable turn direction. Batsmen could play off the back foot to deliveries turning into them (off-breaks) and use their feet against deliveries turning away (doosras don't exist yet). Muralitharan's doosra created a new problem: the batsman could no longer be certain which way the ball would turn, requiring reading the hand position rather than simply anticipating direction; (1) The delivery mechanism: bowling a doosra requires the wrist to rotate in the opposite direction to the normal off-break grip. Many coaches consider this rotation difficult or impossible without the elbow bending beyond legal limits — which is why the doosra is controversial; (2) Other doosra bowlers: Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan), Johan Botha (South Africa), and Harbhajan Singh (India) have all bowled doosras to varying degrees. All faced scrutiny about their delivery actions; (3) The legacy: the doosra's existence changed how coaches develop off-spinners — the ambiguity of turn direction is now a key attribute of elite off-spinners.
Muralitharan vs Shane Warne: The Great Spin Bowling Comparison
Muralitharan (800 wickets) vs Shane Warne (708 wickets): the two men defined the era of spin bowling dominance in the late 1990s and 2000s. The comparison: (1) Wicket totals: Muralitharan 800, Warne 708 — a gap of 92 wickets, which is meaningful but not enormous across 133 and 145 Tests respectively; (2) Average: Muralitharan 22.72 vs Warne 25.41 — Muralitharan took wickets more cheaply on average; (3) Type of bowling: Muralitharan (off-spinner, right-arm) vs Warne (leg-spinner, right-arm). Warne's leg-spin is generally considered more difficult to bowl consistently (the control required for a leg-spinner is greater) but also more difficult to bat against (the natural turn direction — away from the right-hander — is harder to cover); (4) Context of wickets: Muralitharan played many Tests in Sri Lanka on turning pitches that favoured his spin; Warne played away Tests in South Africa, England, and India where spin was less favoured. Both bowled well everywhere; (5) Reputation: Warne is more culturally celebrated, particularly in England and Australia, where his cricket personality matched the media environment. Muralitharan's quieter profile and the throwing controversy reduced his media presence. Among analysts, both are considered among the 3-4 greatest bowlers in Test history.
Frequently asked questions
How many Test wickets did Muralitharan take?
Muttiah Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets in 133 Tests at an average of 22.72 — the most wickets by any bowler in Test cricket history. His final wicket was Pragyan Ojha (India), taken in his last Test match at Galle, July 2010, in a match-winning performance where he took 8 wickets to reach exactly 800. Shane Warne (Australia) holds the second-highest total with 708 Test wickets. Muralitharan also holds the ODI wicket record: 534 from 350 matches at 23.08. His combined international wickets (Tests + ODIs + T20Is) exceeds 1,300 — the highest total in world cricket.
Was Muralitharan's bowling action legal?
Yes — Muralitharan was cleared twice by ICC biomechanical testing (1996 and 2004). He has a congenital condition that makes his forearm appear bent when extended, and his wrist is hyper-mobile — together, these make his bowling action appear unusual to observers. Laboratory testing showed his elbow straightening was within the legal tolerance (15 degrees under the 2004 updated Laws). The controversy about his action (he was called for throwing by umpire Darrell Hair in Australia in 1995) was a genuine dispute at the time, but the biomechanical evidence consistently cleared him. The 15-degree straightening tolerance in the Laws applies universally to all bowlers, not specifically to Muralitharan.
Who has more Test wickets — Muralitharan or Warne?
Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) has 800 Test wickets vs Shane Warne's (Australia) 708 — a difference of 92 wickets. Muralitharan's average (22.72) is also lower (better) than Warne's (25.41). Warne played 145 Tests vs Muralitharan's 133. Both played in the same era (Warne 1992-2007, Muralitharan 1992-2010) and are considered the two greatest spin bowlers in Test history. Warne's leg-spin is generally considered more aesthetically celebrated; Muralitharan's numbers are statistically superior by both volume and average.