Muttiah Muralitharan: Sri Lanka's Greatest Spinner — 800 Test Wickets (Most in History), Doosra
Muttiah Muralitharan is a Sri Lankan off-spin bowler born on 17 April 1972 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He holds the world record for the most wickets in Test cricket: 800 wickets at 22.72. He also holds the record for the most wickets in ODI cricket: 534 wickets at 23.08. He is the only player to take 800 Test wickets and the only player to take 500+ ODI wickets. He invented (or popularised at the highest level) the 'doosra' — an off-spinner's delivery that turns away from the right-hander. He took his 800th and final Test wicket in his last Test match in July 2010 — the final wicket being Pragyan Ojha of India. He made his Test debut in August 1992 against Australia. He was awarded the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2006.
Muttiah Muralitharan was born on 17 April 1972 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He made his Test debut in August 1992 against Australia in Colombo. His bowling action — a hyper-mobile wrist position combined with an unusual elbow angle, generating extraordinary turn — was called into question several times during his career. The ICC twice cleared him of illegal action (using motion-capture analysis that showed his elbow flexion was within acceptable limits despite appearing to throw). He remained the most wicket-taking bowler in Test history across his career.
800 Test Wickets: The Greatest Bowling Record
Muttiah Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets at 22.72 across 133 Tests — the highest total in history, comfortably ahead of Shane Warne's 708 at 25.41. He took his 800th wicket in his final Test match (July 2010, Galle, Sri Lanka vs India) — dismissing India's Pragyan Ojha LBW. The final wicket was famously his last ball in Test cricket. He also took 534 ODI wickets at 23.08 — the most in ODI history. He was the first player to take 800 Test wickets. His spin turn — particularly on Sri Lankan turning pitches but also on overseas surfaces — was consistently remarkable.
The Doosra and Legacy
Muralitharan's 'doosra' — an off-spinner's delivery designed to turn away from a right-handed batsman (against the natural spin direction for an off-spinner) — was one of the most controversial and devastating deliveries in cricket. Finger-spin bowling that turns in both directions is very rare at the international level. His doosra action led to biomechanical scrutiny. He was named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Century in 2002. He retired from Test cricket in 2010 and from ODI cricket in 2011. He was ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2006.
Frequently asked questions
What records does Muttiah Muralitharan hold in international cricket?
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the records for most wickets in Test cricket (800 at 22.72) and most wickets in ODI cricket (534 at 23.08) — both all-time records. He took his 800th and final Test wicket in his last ball of his last Test in July 2010, at Galle. He also popularised the 'doosra' — an off-spinner's delivery that turns away from the right-hander. He was ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2006.