Sri Lanka
Off-Spin Bowler
#800
All-Time Legend
Complete Dossier
Muttiah Muralitharan
SEC 1 Player Introduction & Biography
Muttiah Muralitharan is the most prolific wicket-taker in the history of international cricket. Blessed with wrist-spin agility from an off-spinner's angle, Murali bewildered generations of batsmen with sharp off-breaks, lethal top-spinners, and the patented 'Doosra'.
800 Test Wickets & 534 ODI Wickets
Murali achieved the mystical milestone of 800 Test wickets—capturing his 800th wicket with the very last ball of his Test career by dismissing Pragyan Ojha at Galle in July 2010. He also captured 534 ODI wickets and played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka's historic 1996 World Cup triumph in Lahore.
Career Numbers at a Glance
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test Cricket | 133 | 230 | 1,261 | 67 | 11.67 | Data unavailable | 0 | 1 | 800 |
| ODI | 350 | 162 | 674 | 33* | 6.80 | 77.56 | 0 | 0 | 534 |
| T20I | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 16.66 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| IPL / Franchise | 66 | 13 | 63 | 18* | 7.00 | 69.23 | 0 | 0 | 63 |
SEC 2 Personal Information
SEC 4 Format-Wise & Competition Statistics
Notice: Per CricSound archival integrity policy, unrecorded historical parameters are shown as “Data unavailable”—estimated figures are strictly prohibited.
Batting & Fielding Statistics
| Format | Mat | Inn | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Catches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 133 | 230 | 1,261 | 67 | 11.67 | Data unavailable | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 72 |
| ODI | 350 | 162 | 674 | 33* | 6.80 | 77.56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 130 |
| T20I | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 16.66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| IPL | 66 | 13 | 63 | 18* | 7.00 | 69.23 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
Bowling Statistics
| Format | Mat | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ | 5-Wkt Hauls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 133 | 800 | 9/51 | 22.72 | 2.47 | 67 |
| ODI | 350 | 534 | 7/30 | 23.08 | 3.93 | 10 |
| T20I | 12 | 13 | 3/16 | 22.84 | 6.31 | 0 |
| IPL | 66 | 63 | 3/11 | 26.92 | 6.67 | 0 |
SEC 3 Career Journey & Timeline
Chronological roadmap of debuts, championships, historic records, and retirement.
Test Debut in Colombo
Debuted against Allan Border's Australians.
World Cup Triumph in Lahore
Lifting Sri Lanka's maiden World Cup trophy.
16/220 at The Oval
Single-handedly spun Sri Lanka to an iconic Test victory in England.
Surpassed Warne as All-Time Leading Wicket-Taker
Took 709th Test wicket in Kandy to break Shane Warne's world record.
The Magical 800th Wicket on Final Ball
Dismissed Pragyan Ojha at Galle with his final Test delivery to touch 800 wickets.
Final Appearance in World Cup Final
Bowled his final international overs in the 2011 World Cup Final at Wankhede Stadium.
SEC 5 Major Records & Achievements
Most Wickets in Test Cricket History (800 Wickets)
Only bowler to reach 800 Test wickets; captured with his final career ball.
Most Wickets in ODI Cricket History (534 Wickets)
Highest wicket-taker in 50-over international cricket.
Most 5-Wicket Hauls in Test History (67) & 10-Wicket Matches (22)
Unrivaled 67 five-wicket hauls in 133 Tests.
National Honors & Hall of Fame Induction
1996 ICC Cricket World Cup Champion, Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World (2000, 2006), ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (2017)
SEC 6 Teams & Former Clubs
International squads, domestic state teams, county clubs, and franchise leagues represented:
Leadership & Captaincy History
Long-time bowling general and leader of Sri Lanka's attack; IPL Champion with Chennai Super Kings (2010).
SEC 7 Retirement Details & Career Retrospective
Official Career Retrospective
Status: Officially RetiredSEC 8 Sources & Verification
CricSound ensures all historical statistics, scorecards, milestones, and personal details are verified against authoritative primary documents and historical archives.
Comprehensive format-wise statistics, detailed biographical narrative, verified achievements, and complete career timeline.
Publishing Standard: CricSound enforces a strict zero-thin-stub policy. Profiles require verified biographies, confirmed teams, and primary historical data before publication.Primary Historical & Statistical Sources
SEC 9 Related Players & Era Peers
Iconic contemporaries, teammates, and role peers:
Anil Kumble
India • Leg-Spin Bowler
Sachin Tendulkar
India • Top-Order Batter
Shane Warne
Australia • Leg-Spin BowlerSEC 10 Head-to-Head Comparisons
Side-by-side historical stat comparisons: