Muttiah Muralitharan

Early Life

Muttiah Muralitharan was born on 17 April 1972 in Kandy, Sri Lanka, the eldest of four sons of Sinnasamy Muttiah, who ran a biscuit-making business, and Lakshmi. At nine he was sent to St Anthony's College, Kandy, where he began as a medium-pace bowler before his school coach, Sunil Fernando, advised him to take up off-spin at the age of 14. He played four years in the school First XI and in his final two seasons took more than a hundred wickets, being named Bata Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1990-91. After school he joined Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club and was picked for a Sri Lanka A tour of England in 1991. He impressed against Allan Border's touring Australians in a practice match and was selected for his Test debut in August 1992, at the age of 20.

Career

Muralitharan made his Test debut against Australia at Colombo on 28 August 1992, taking 3 for 141, with Craig McDermott as his first Test wicket. He took his first Test five-wicket haul against South Africa at Moratuwa in August 1993. On Boxing Day 1995, umpire Darrell Hair called him for throwing seven times in three overs at Melbourne; after biomechanical analysis under simulated playing conditions, the ICC cleared his action in 1996 and again in 1999. He was part of Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning team in 1996 and joint-winners of the Champions Trophy in 2002. He passed Courtney Walsh's record of 519 Test wickets in May 2004, lost the record to Shane Warne after a shoulder injury, then reclaimed it on 3 December 2007. On 5 February 2009 he passed Wasim Akram's record of 502 one-day international wickets. He retired from Test cricket in July 2010, taking his 800th wicket with his final ball, and played his last international match in the 2011 World Cup final against India. After playing he worked as a bowling coach, including with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

Achievements

Muralitharan's numbers are the most prolific in bowling history. He took 800 wickets in 133 Tests at an average of 22.72, averaging more than six wickets per Test, and he is the only bowler ever to reach 800 Test wickets. His 67 five-wicket hauls and 22 ten-wicket matches are both Test records. In one-day internationals he took 534 wickets in 350 matches, also a world record, and his combined tally of 1,347 international wickets is the most by any bowler. His finest single performance came at The Oval in 1998, when he took 16 wickets for 220 runs against England, including 9 for 65 in the second innings, to give Sri Lanka their first Test win in England. He was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002, and in 2017 he became the first Sri Lankan inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

• Took 800 wickets in 133 Tests, the most in Test history and the only 800-wicket haul in the game
• Took 534 wickets in 350 one-day internationals, also a world record
• Took 1,347 international wickets in total, more than any other bowler in history
• Took a record 67 five-wicket hauls and 22 ten-wicket matches in Tests
• Took 16 wickets for 220 runs against England at The Oval in 1998, including 9 for 65 in the second innings
• Was part of Sri Lanka's 1996 Cricket World Cup-winning team and joint-winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy
• Rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002
• First Sri Lankan cricketer inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, in 2017

Legacy

Muralitharan is widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history and as the greatest player Sri Lanka ever produced. His records of 800 Test wickets and 534 one-day wickets look beyond reach, and his 67 Test five-wicket hauls are far ahead of any other bowler. His career also changed cricket's laws: the controversy over his action led to biomechanical testing and to the ICC's tolerance level for elbow extension, which reshaped how bowling actions are judged. As the only Tamil in the Sri Lanka side for much of his career during the years of ethnic conflict, he became a symbol of unity, and his humanitarian work after the 2004 tsunami won widespread admiration. He held the number one spot in the ICC Test bowling rankings for a record 1,711 days.

Contributions

Muralitharan changed what an off-spinner could do. He was the first wrist-spinning off-spinner in the history of the game, bowling with a short run-up, an open-chested action and a highly flexible wrist that gave him turn on any surface. Alongside his stock off-break he developed the doosra, a delivery that turns the opposite way with no visible change of action, and a fast topspinner. He bowled marathon spells and attacked throughout, taking more than six wickets per Test on average and carrying Sri Lanka's attack almost single-handedly for nearly two decades. His success made spin bowling the centrepiece of Sri Lankan cricket and forced the game to settle, through science rather than opinion, how a bowling action should be judged.

Notable Works

• Sri Lanka national cricket team (1992-2011)
• 1996 Cricket World Cup winner
• 2002 ICC Champions Trophy joint-winner
• 800th Test wicket with his final ball, Galle, 2010
• 16 wickets against England at The Oval, 1998

Milestones

• 1972 — Born on 17 April in Kandy, Sri Lanka Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 1990 — Named Bata Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year at St Anthony's College, Kandy Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 1992 — Made his Test debut against Australia at Colombo Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 1995 — Called for throwing on Boxing Day at Melbourne; his action was later cleared by the ICC Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 1996 — Won the Cricket World Cup with Sri Lanka Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 1998 — Took 16 wickets against England at The Oval, Sri Lanka's first Test win in England Source: Wisden; Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 2002 — Rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack Source: ICC; Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 2004 — Passed Courtney Walsh's record to become the leading Test wicket-taker Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 2007 — Reclaimed the Test wickets record from Shane Warne Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 2009 — Passed Wasim Akram's record for most one-day international wickets Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 2010 — Took his 800th Test wicket with his final ball and retired from Test cricket Source: ICC; Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
• 2017 — Inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, the first Sri Lankan to receive the honour Source: ICC; NDTV

Timeline

1. 17 April 1972

   Born in Kandy, Sri Lanka

   Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
2. 28 August 1992

   Made his Test debut against Australia at Colombo

   Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
3. 12 August 1993

   Made his one-day international debut against India

   Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
4. 26 December 1995

   Called for throwing seven times by umpire Darrell Hair on Boxing Day at Melbourne

   Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
5. 17 March 1996

   Won the Cricket World Cup with Sri Lanka, beating Australia in the final at Lahore

   Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
6. 1998-08

   Took 16 wickets for 220 runs against England at The Oval, Sri Lanka's first Test win in England

   Approximate date Source: Wisden; Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
7. 2002

   Rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: ICC; Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
8. 2004-05

   Passed Courtney Walsh's record of 519 Test wickets to become the leading Test wicket-taker

   Approximate date Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
9. 3 December 2007

   Reclaimed the record for most Test wickets, passing Shane Warne against England at Kandy

   Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
10. 5 February 2009

    Passed Wasim Akram's record of 502 one-day international wickets

    Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
11. 22 July 2010

    Took his 800th and final Test wicket with his last ball in Test cricket, dismissing Pragyan Ojha at Galle

    Source: ICC; Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
12. 2 April 2011

    Played his last international match, the World Cup final against India at Mumbai

    Source: Wikipedia (Muttiah Muralitharan)
13. 2017

    Inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, the first Sri Lankan to receive the honour

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: ICC; NDTV

Related Personalities

• Sachin Tendulkar Cricketer · b. 1973
• Imran Khan Cricketer · b. 1952
• Wasim Akram Cricketer · b. 1966

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

1. Muttiah Muralitharan — Wikipedia — Wikipedia (accessed 13 November 2026)
2. Muttiah Muralitharan | Hall of Fame — ICC — ICC (accessed 13 November 2026)
3. Muthiah Muralidaran profile — ESPNcricinfo — ESPNcricinfo (accessed 13 November 2026)
4. Muttiah Muralitharan Becomes First Lankan to Enter ICC's Hall of Fame — NDTV Sports (accessed 13 November 2026)
5. 16 For 220: When Muralidaran Ran Riot At The Oval — Wisden — Wisden (accessed 13 November 2026)
6. File:MUTTIAH MURALITHARAN (5155788120).jpg — Wikimedia Commons (portrait file page) — Wikimedia Commons (accessed 13 November 2026)

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