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
Full name
Muttiah Muralitharan
Born
(1972-04-17) 17 April 1972 (age 52) Kandy, Sri Lanka[1]
Nickname
Murali
Height
5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Batting
Right-handed
Bowling
Right-arm off break
Role
Bowler
International information
National side
Sri Lanka (1992–2011)
Test debut (cap 54)
28 August 1992 v Australia
Last Test
18 July 2010 v India
ODI debut (cap 70)
12 August 1993 v India
Last ODI
2 April 2011 v India
ODI shirt no.
8
T20I debut (cap 13)
22 December 2006 v New Zealand
Last T20I
31 October 2010 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years
Team
1991/92–2009/10
Tamil Union
1999, 2001, 2005, 2007
Lancashire
2003
Kent
2008–2010
Chennai Super Kings
2011
Kochi Tuskers Kerala
2011–2012
Gloucestershire
2011/12
Wellington Firebirds
2011/12
Chittagong Kings
2012–2014
Royal Challengers Bangalore
2012/13–2013/14
Melbourne Renegades
2013
Jamaica Tallawahs
Career statistics
Competition
Test
ODI
FC
LA
Matches
133[2]
350[3]
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[4] (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 2024[update], he has taken more wickets in international cricket than any other bowler.[5] Muralitharan was a part of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
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.[6] After biomechanical analysis under simulated playing conditions, Muralitharan's action was cleared by the International Cricket Council, first in 1996 and again in 1999.[7]
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.[8] He became the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he overtook the previous record-holder Shane Warne on 3 December 2007.[9][10] 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.[11] Muralitharan took the wicket of Gautam Gambhir on 5 February 2009 in Colombo to surpass Wasim Akram's ODI record of 502 wickets.[12] 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.[13]
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.[14] He won the Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year award in 2017.[15]
^Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon at the time of Muralitharan's birth.
^Including 1 Test for an ICC World XI
^Including 4 ODIs for the Asian XI and 3 for an ICC World XI.
^Also spelt as Muralidaran and often referred to as Murali.
^Gough, Christina (10 September 2020). "Leading wicket-takers in international test match cricket as of June 2023". statistica.com.
^Conn, Malcolm (13 October 2007). "Bending law aided Murali: Gillespie". The Australian. Archived from the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2007.
^Austin, Charlie. "Muttiah Muralitharan profile at ESPNcricinfo". Retrieved 6 February 2008.
^"Murali retires in third position". The Express Tribune. 24 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
^"Murali breaks Warne's record". ESPNcricinfo. 3 December 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
^"Muralitharan breaks the cricket test wicket record". 3 December 2007. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2008 – via YouTube.
^"Muralitharan breaks Test record". BBC Sport. London. 3 December 2007. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
^"Murali breaks ODI wicket record". BBC Sport. London. 5 February 2009. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
^"Murali 'best bowler ever'". BBC Sport. London. 13 December 2002. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2007.
^"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.
^"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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