Muttiah Muralitharan: 800 Test Wickets and the Science of His Off-Spin
How Muttiah Muralitharan took more Test wickets than any bowler in history — his unusual bowling action, the doosra, the controversy over his action, and his career legacy.
Muttiah Muralitharan is the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history with 800 wickets at an average of 22.72 — a record many believe will never be broken. The Sri Lankan off-spin bowler dominated world cricket for over 18 years (1992-2010), taking wickets in every condition against every team. Muralitharan's unconventional bowling action — the result of a congenital bend in his elbow and an extraordinarily flexible wrist — generated spin and variation that batters found virtually impossible to consistently play.
The Controversial Bowling Action
Muralitharan's bowling action was reported for throwing (illegal straightening of the arm at delivery) multiple times during his career — most notably by Australian umpire Darrell Hair in 1995 and 1996. Biomechanical testing at the University of Western Australia found that Muralitharan's elbow appeared to straighten due to a congenital condition: his elbow was permanently bent at 15 degrees at rest, and this created the visual impression of straightening during delivery even when his elbow was held constant. The ICC cleared him of illegal action, and independent biomechanical testing was subsequently adopted as the standard for assessing suspect actions.
- Off-break: Muralitharan's standard delivery — spinning sharply from off to leg for right-handers with significant drift in the air.
- Doosra: Invented by Muralitharan — an off-spinner's delivery that spins the opposite way (leg to off), analogous to a leg-spinner's googly. Extremely difficult to detect from the hand.
- Top-spinner: Goes straight on with extra bounce; used to surprise batters expecting spin.
- Flipper variation: Muralitharan occasionally used a quicker, flatter delivery that skidded through without turning.
- Drift: His ability to drift the ball toward the right-hander before pitching and spinning sharply away was one of the most devastating patterns in Test cricket.
Frequently asked questions
How many Test wickets did Muralitharan take?
Muttiah Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets in 133 Test matches at an average of 22.72. He is the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history, ahead of Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619). Muralitharan's 800 wickets include 67 five-wicket hauls (most in Test history) and 22 ten-wicket match hauls. He took his 800th wicket on the last ball of his Test career in July 2010 at Galle against India.
What is the doosra in cricket?
The doosra (Urdu/Hindi: 'the second one' or 'the other one') is an off-spinner's delivery that spins the opposite direction to a standard off-break — from leg to off for a right-hander rather than off to leg. It was developed by Muttiah Muralitharan and later perfected by Pakistani spinner Saqlain Mushtaq (who is credited with its popularisation). The doosra requires the off-spinner to pronate their wrist at release (supinate for a standard off-break), making it difficult to distinguish from the hand. The ICC has tested several bowlers' doosra actions for legality.
Was Muralitharan's bowling action legal?
Yes — Muralitharan's bowling action was deemed legal by the ICC following multiple independent biomechanical tests. The controversy arose because his elbow appeared to straighten at delivery (which constitutes 'throwing' under cricket law). However, biomechanical testing revealed that Muralitharan had a congenital condition causing his forearm to be permanently bent at approximately 15 degrees; during delivery, his arm was actually held at a constant position — the apparent straightening was an optical illusion. The ICC adopted 15 degrees of elbow extension as the legal limit for all bowlers based partly on this research, and Muralitharan's action was within this limit.