Muttiah Muralitharan

This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by his given name, Muralitharan, and not as Muttiah.
Deshabandu
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muralitharan at the CEAT Cricket Ratings Awards in February 2013
Personal information
Born (1972-04-17) 17 April 1972
Kandy, then part of Ceylon
NicknameMurali
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RoleBowler
International information
National side
  • Sri Lanka (1992–2011)
Test debut (cap 54)28 August 1992 v Australia
Last Test18 July 2010 v India
ODI debut (cap 70)12 August 1993 v India
Last ODI2 April 2011 v India
ODI shirt no.8
T20I debut (cap 13)22 December 2006 v New Zealand
Last T20I31 October 2010 v Australia
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1991/92–2009/10Tamil Union
1999, 2001, 2005, 2007Lancashire
2003Kent
2008–2010Chennai Super Kings
2011Kochi Tuskers Kerala
2011–2012Gloucestershire
2011/12Wellington Firebirds
2011/12Chittagong Kings
2012–2014Royal Challengers Bangalore
2012/13–2013/14Melbourne Renegades
2013Jamaica Tallawahs
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 133[1] 350[2] 232 453
Runs scored 1,256 674 2,192 945
Batting average 11.67 6.80 11.35 7.32
100s/50s 0/1 0/0 0/1 0/0
Top score 67 33* 67 33*
Balls bowled 44,039 18,811 66,933 23,734
Wickets 800 534 1,374 682
Bowling average 22.72 23.08 19.64 22.39
5 wickets in innings 67 10 119 12
10 wickets in match 22 0 34 0
Best bowling 9/51 7/30 9/51 7/30
Catches/stumpings 72/– 130/– 123/– 159/–
Medal record
Men's Cricket
Representing  Sri Lanka
ICC Cricket World Cup
Winner 1996 India-Pakistan-Sri Lanka
Runner-up 2007 West Indies
Runner-up 2011 India–Bangladesh–Sri Lanka
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 8 January 2014

Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan[3] (born 17 April 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, businessman and former professional cricketer. Averaging over six wickets per Test match, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He is the only bowler to take 800 Test wickets and more than 530 One Day International (ODI) wickets. As of 2025, he has taken more wickets in international cricket than any other bowler.[4] Muralitharan was a part of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup and the team which was joint-winners with India of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy.

Muralitharan's international career was beset by controversy over his bowling action. Due to an unusual hyperextension of his congenitally bent arm during delivery, his bowling action was called into question on a number of occasions by umpires and sections of the cricket community.[5] After biomechanical analysis under simulated playing conditions, Muralitharan's action was cleared by the International Cricket Council, first in 1996 and again in 1999.[6]

Muralitharan held the number one spot in the International Cricket Council's player rankings for Test bowlers for a record period of 1,711 days spanning 214 Test matches.[7] He became the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he overtook the previous record-holder Shane Warne on 3 December 2007.[8][9] Muralitharan had previously held the record when he surpassed Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in 2004, but he suffered a shoulder injury later that year and was overtaken by Warne.[10] Muralitharan took the wicket of Gautam Gambhir on 5 February 2009 in Colombo to surpass Wasim Akram's ODI record of 502 wickets.[11] He retired from Test cricket in 2010, registering his 800th and final wicket on 22 July 2010 from his final ball in his last Test match.[12]

Muralitharan was rated the greatest Test match bowler by Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack in 2002, and in 2017 was the first Sri Lankan cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.[13] He won the Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year award in 2017.[14]

  1. ^ Including 1 Test for an ICC World XI
  2. ^ Including 4 ODIs for the Asian XI and 3 for an ICC World XI.
  3. ^ Also spelt as Muralidaran and often referred to as Murali.
  4. ^ Gough, Christina (10 September 2020). "Leading wicket-takers in international test match cricket as of June 2023". statistica.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  5. ^ Conn, Malcolm (13 October 2007). "Bending law aided Murali: Gillespie". The Australian. Archived from the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2007.
  6. ^ Austin, Charlie. "Muttiah Muralitharan profile at ESPNcricinfo". Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  7. ^ "Murali retires in third position". The Express Tribune. 24 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  8. ^ "Murali breaks Warne's record". ESPNcricinfo. 3 December 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Muralitharan breaks the cricket test wicket record". 3 December 2007. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2008 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Muralitharan breaks Test record". BBC Sport. London. 3 December 2007. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  11. ^ "Murali breaks ODI wicket record". BBC Sport. London. 5 February 2009. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  12. ^ "Murali 'best bowler ever'". BBC Sport. London. 13 December 2002. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2007.
  13. ^ "Muralitharan first Sri Lankan in ICC Hall of Fame". ICC Cricket. 27 July 2016. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  14. ^ "Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year 2017 - award winners". www.adaderana.lk. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
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