Muttiah Muralitharan's 800 Test Wickets: The Doosra, ICC Action Controversy, and Cricket's Greatest Wicket-Taker
How Muttiah Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets — the most ever — his unique bowling action, the doosra variation, the ICC action controversy, and his retirement on the final ball of his final Test.
Muttiah Muralitharan retired from Test cricket in July 2010 with 800 wickets — the highest wicket tally in the history of Test cricket. His retirement came after taking his 800th wicket off the final ball of his final Test match against India in Galle — a moment of theatrical precision that seemed almost scripted. Muralitharan's career spanned 133 Tests from 1992 to 2010; his wickets came at an average of 22.72, with a strike rate of 55.0 deliveries per wicket — better than any bowler in history with over 200 Test wickets. His career was defined by exceptional talent, an unorthodox bowling action that generated controversy, and deliveries that pushed the boundary of what spin bowling could achieve.
The Unorthodox Action: The Controversy
Muralitharan's bowling action was the subject of sustained controversy throughout his career. The Laws of Cricket permit a bowler's arm to flex up to 15 degrees at the elbow during delivery; Muralitharan's arm had a congenital condition — a fixed deformity in his elbow joint — that meant his arm appeared to flex beyond this limit when viewed at full speed, even though biomechanical analysis showed he was operating within the legal threshold. He was no-balled for throwing by Australian umpire Darrell Hair in a Test in Melbourne in December 1995 and by Ross Emerson in a One Day International in 1999. The ICC responded by having Muralitharan's action biomechanically tested, which confirmed it was legal. The controversy was particularly acute in Australia, where sections of the public and media consistently questioned his legitimacy; in Sri Lanka and most of the cricketing world, he was widely accepted as a legitimate bowler. The ICC's 15-degree flexion allowance for all bowlers (established after Muralitharan's testing) resolved the issue formally.
The Doosra: Spinning Both Ways
Muralitharan's primary delivery was the off-break — a ball spinning from off to leg for a right-handed batsman, bowled with the standard off-spinner's grip but generated through wrist rotation rather than finger spin, creating exceptional revolutions. His secondary weapon was the doosra — a delivery that spins from leg to off for a right-handed batsman, bowled with an off-spinner's action but backspin grip. The doosra (Urdu for 'the other one') had been developed by Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq in the late 1990s; Muralitharan adopted and refined it, using his exceptional wrist flexibility to generate the variation. Batsmen who had mastered the off-break suddenly faced a delivery that went the other way from the same action — an extremely difficult challenge to read.
Career Statistics and Records
- 800 Test wickets from 133 Tests — most in history
- Average: 22.72 — best among high-volume wicket-takers
- Strike rate: 55.0 (one wicket every 55 deliveries) — outstanding
- 72 five-wicket innings in Tests — most ever
- 22 ten-wicket match hauls in Tests — most ever
- Best innings bowling: 9/51 vs Zimbabwe, 2002
- 534 ODI wickets — also the ODI record until surpassed in 2024
- Wisden Cricketer of the Year twice; ICC Test Player of the Decade 2000-2010
Murali vs Warne: The Greatest Spin Bowling Debate
The debate between Muralitharan (800 Test wickets) and Shane Warne (708) as the greatest spin bowler in history is cricket's most analysed comparative question. Statistically, Muralitharan leads in wickets, average (22.72 vs Warne's 25.41), and strike rate (55.0 vs 57.4). Warne's proponents argue he performed more consistently against the highest-quality batting nations (his average against South Africa, England, and India was consistently under 30) and that his wickets came in more competitive conditions. Muralitharan's supporters note that Sri Lanka, as a smaller cricket nation with fewer resources, faced greater challenges in producing competitive Test cricket, making his sustained excellence more remarkable. The debate has no definitive answer, which is precisely why it has generated so much analysis.
Frequently asked questions
How many Test wickets did Muralitharan take?
Muttiah Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets in 133 matches at an average of 22.72 — the most Test wickets in cricket history. He retired in July 2010 after taking his 800th wicket off the final ball of his final Test against India at Galle. He also took 534 ODI wickets, and his combined international wicket tally is the highest in cricket history.
Was Muralitharan's bowling action legal?
Yes — Muralitharan's bowling action was confirmed legal by ICC biomechanical testing. He was no-balled for throwing by two umpires (Darrell Hair in 1995 and Ross Emerson in 1999) and the incidents generated major controversy, particularly in Australia. However, testing showed that a congenital elbow deformity made his arm appear to flex more than it did, and his action operated within the 15-degree elbow flexion limit permitted by the Laws of Cricket. The ICC subsequently clarified the 15-degree allowance as applicable to all bowlers.
What is the doosra in cricket?
The doosra is a variation delivery by an off-spin bowler that turns in the opposite direction to the standard off-break — from leg to off for a right-handed batsman, rather than the normal off-to-leg direction. The doosra is delivered with an off-spinner's action but a different grip and wrist position, making it difficult for batsmen to read from the bowler's hand. Saqlain Mushtaq developed the delivery in the late 1990s; Muralitharan adopted and refined it using his exceptional wrist flexibility to make the variation particularly hard to distinguish.