Muttiah Muralitharan

Biography

Muttiah Muralitharan took more wickets than any bowler in cricket history, and he did it with an action that sparked the biggest controversy the sport has known. His uniquely flexible wrist and elbow created a delivery that turned prodigiously, baffling scientists as much as batsmen. Three times he was called for throwing; three times biomechanical testing cleared him. What couldn't be debated was the results: 800 Test wickets, 534 ODI wickets, numbers that may never be approached. He carried Sri Lankan bowling for nearly two decades, turning a minor cricket nation into world champions. Every ball seemed to find an edge or hit the stumps, as if the wickets were drawn to him by magnetism.

Career Highlights

• 800 Test wickets (all-time record)
• 534 ODI wickets (all-time record)
• 67 Test five-wicket hauls
• 22 ten-wicket matches
• Carried Sri Lanka bowling for 18 years

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