Muttiah Muralitharan is the only bowler to take 800 Test wickets and more than 530 One Day International wickets.
133 Facts About Muttiah Muralitharan
2.
Muttiah Muralitharan was a part of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
3.
Muttiah 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.
4.
Muttiah Muralitharan became the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he overtook the previous record-holder Shane Warne on 2007.
5.
Muttiah 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.
6.
Muttiah Muralitharan took the wicket of Gautam Gambhir on 5 February 2009 in Colombo to surpass Wasim Akram's ODI record of 502 wickets.
7.
Muttiah Muralitharan 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.
8.
Muttiah 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.
9.
Muttiah Muralitharan won the Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year award in 2017.
10.
When he was nine years old, Muttiah Muralitharan was sent to St Anthony's College, Kandy, a private school run by Benedictine monks.
11.
Muttiah Muralitharan began his cricketing career as a medium pace bowler but on the advice of his school coach, Sunil Fernando, he took up off-spin when he was fourteen years old.
12.
Muttiah Muralitharan soon impressed and went on to play for four years in the school First XI.
13.
Muttiah Muralitharan played in five games but failed to capture a single wicket.
14.
When his grandfather died at the age of 104 in July 2004, Muttiah Muralitharan returned home from a tour of India to attend his funeral.
15.
Periyasamy Sinasamy's first wish to see Muttiah Muralitharan claiming the world record for the most Test wickets was realised, but not his desire to live to see his grandson married.
16.
Muttiah Muralitharan's grandmother had died one month earlier at the age of 97.
17.
Muttiah Muralitharan holds Overseas Citizenship of India and he does not need a visa for travelling to India.
18.
Muttiah Muralitharan announced on 3 April 2011 that he was retiring from all sport.
19.
In 2007, when Cricket Australia decided to unveil the new Warne-Muralidaran Trophy, to be contested between Australia and Sri Lanka, Muttiah Muralitharan was requested to clarify how his name should be spelt.
20.
In domestic cricket, Muttiah Muralitharan played for two first-class Sri Lankan sides, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club in the Premier Trophy and Central Province in the Provincial Championship.
21.
Muttiah Muralitharan played county cricket in England, mainly for Lancashire, appearing in twenty-eight first-class games for the club.
22.
Muttiah Muralitharan played five first class games for Kent during the 2003 season.
23.
Muttiah Muralitharan was unusual amongst his contemporaries in that he played in more Test matches than other first-class games.
24.
Muttiah Muralitharan was signed by Gloucestershire in 2011 to play in T20 matches.
25.
Muttiah Muralitharan renewed his T20 contract with Gloucestershire in 2012, but did not stay on for the 2013 season.
26.
In February 2008, Muttiah Muralitharan was slated to play Twenty20 cricket for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
27.
Muttiah Muralitharan was bought for $600,000 by India Cements, the Chennai franchisee of the IPL, through a bidding process.
28.
Muttiah Muralitharan captured 11 wickets in 15 games, at an economy rate of 6.96 an over.
29.
In 2010, in the third season of IPL, Muttiah Muralitharan was part of the Chennai Super Kings side that won the IPL championship.
30.
Muttiah Muralitharan remained the side's leading wicket-taker after all the three tournaments.
31.
Muttiah Muralitharan played for Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2012 to 2014.
32.
Muttiah Muralitharan decided to retire from the IPL in 2014.
33.
In 2015, Muttiah Muralitharan was appointed as the bowling coach and mentor of the IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad.
34.
Muttiah Muralitharan signed for the Melbourne Renegades to play Twenty20 cricket in the Big Bash League in 2012.
35.
Muttiah Muralitharan is the first wrist-spinning off-spinner in the history of the game.
36.
From his debut in 1992, Muttiah Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets and over 500 One Day International wickets, becoming the first player to take 1,000 wickets combined in the two main forms of international cricket.
37.
On 28 August 1992 at the age of 20, Muttiah Muralitharan made his debut against Australia at the Khettarama Stadium and claimed 3 for 141.
38.
Muttiah Muralitharan's wickets included Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje and Jonty Rhodes.
39.
Muttiah Muralitharan continued to baffle batsman outside the shores of Sri Lanka, irrespective of the team's performance.
40.
The Sri Lankan manager Duleep Mendis' claim that Muttiah Muralitharan can turn the ball on concrete was confirmed.
41.
Muttiah Muralitharan had bowled two overs before lunch from umpire Steve Dunne's or the Members' End of the ground with umpire Hair at square leg and these passed without incident.
42.
Muttiah Muralitharan's third over was a maiden with all deliveries again passed as legitimate but in his fourth Hair no-balled him twice for throwing on the fourth and sixth balls.
43.
Muttiah Muralitharan returned at and continued with Muralitharan who was called two more times in his sixth over on the second and sixth balls.
44.
On 16 March 1997, Muttiah Muralitharan became the first Sri Lankan to reach 100 test wickets, when he dismissed Stephen Fleming in the second innings of the Hamilton Test.
45.
In January 1998, Muttiah Muralitharan took his first ten-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in the first test at Kandy.
46.
Sri Lanka won by eight wickets and Muttiah Muralitharan had figures of 12 for 117.
47.
In England's second innings Muttiah Muralitharan bowled a marathon 54.2 overs to pick up 9 for 65 runs, the other wicket being a run out.
48.
On 4 January 2002 in Kandy Muttiah Muralitharan might have finished with the best-ever figures for a single innings, but after he had claimed nine wickets against Zimbabwe Russel Arnold dropped a catch at short leg.
49.
Muttiah Muralitharan missed out on the tenth when Chaminda Vaas dismissed Henry Olonga caught behind amid stifled appeals.
50.
Muttiah Muralitharan follows up his 9 for 51 in the first innings with 4 for 64 in the second, equalling Richard Hadlee's record of 10 ten-wicket match hauls, but needing 15 fewer Tests to do so.
51.
On 15 January 2002 playing in his 72nd test, Muttiah Muralitharan became the fastest and youngest to reach the 400-wicket landmark when he bowled Olonga in the third Test in Galle.
52.
On 16 March 2004 Muttiah Muralitharan became the fastest and the youngest bowler to reach 500 wickets during the second test between Sri Lanka and Australia played in Kandy.
53.
In May 2004, Muttiah Muralitharan overtook West Indian Courtney Walsh's record of 519 Test match wickets to become the highest wicket-taker.
54.
Muttiah Muralitharan held the record until Shane Warne claimed it in October 2004.
55.
Warne said he enjoyed his duel with Muttiah Muralitharan, who was sidelined following shoulder surgery at the time.
56.
Muttiah Muralitharan took ten in each of four successive matches, the second time he performed such a feat.
57.
In July 2007, Muttiah Muralitharan became the second bowler after Australia's Shane Warne to capture 700 Test wickets.
58.
Muttiah Muralitharan finished with six wickets in each innings to claim 10 wickets or more in a Test for the 20th time.
59.
Muttiah Muralitharan reclaimed the record for most Test wickets during the first Test against England at Kandy on 2007.
60.
Warne believed that Muttiah Muralitharan would take "1,000 wickets" before he retired.
61.
Former record holder Courtney Walsh opined that this would be possible if Muttiah Muralitharan retained his hunger for wickets.
62.
Muttiah Muralitharan himself believed there was a possibility that he would reach this milestone.
63.
Muttiah Muralitharan finished the match with 11 wickets for 110, as India were shot out for 138 in their second innings after conceding a lead of 377 on the fourth day.
64.
Muttiah Muralitharan was well supported by debutant Ajantha Mendis, an unorthodox spinner with plenty of variation, who took eight wickets in his debut match.
65.
Muttiah Muralitharan believed the emergence of Mendis would help prolong his own career.
66.
In July 2007, Muttiah Muralitharan achieved a career peak Test Bowling Rating of 920, based on the LG ICC Player Rankings.
67.
Muttiah Muralitharan has the unique distinction of getting 10 or more wickets in a match against all other nine Test playing nations as well as capturing over 50 wickets against each of them.
68.
Muttiah Muralitharan obtained 7 or more wickets in an innings against five nations, namely England, India, South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
69.
Muttiah Muralitharan took at least five five-fors against all the other nine Test sides.
70.
Against teams excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Muttiah Muralitharan took 624 wickets in 108 Tests.
71.
Muttiah Muralitharan won 18 Man of the Match awards in Test cricket.
72.
Muttiah Muralitharan received criticism that he enjoyed great success on home soil, taking wickets on pitches that are more spin-friendly than other international pitches.
73.
However, it is clear that Muttiah Muralitharan did much better playing at home to test minnows Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, averaging less than 16 runs a wicket.
74.
Muttiah Muralitharan was clearly the leading Test wicket-taker during this period, capturing 565 wickets at 20.97 in spite of the dominance of the bat over ball.
75.
Muttiah Muralitharan was on the winning side on 54 of the 133 test matches he played.
76.
Muttiah Muralitharan took 795 wickets for his country Sri Lanka in 132 tests.
77.
On 12 August 1993 Muttiah Muralitharan made his One Day International debut against India at the Khettarama Stadium and took 1 for 38 off ten overs.
78.
On 27 October 2000 in Sharjah, Muttiah Muralitharan captured 7 for 30 against India, which were then the best bowling figures in One Day Internationals.
79.
On 9 April 2002 Muttiah Muralitharan achieved a career peak ODI Bowling Rating of 913, based on the LG ICC Player Rankings.
80.
In 2006, Muttiah Muralitharan had the second highest number of runs hit off him in a One Day International Innings.
81.
Muttiah Muralitharan was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by Cricinfo for the 2007 World Cup.
82.
Muttiah Muralitharan played in five Cricket World Cup tournaments, in 1996,1999,2003,2007 and 2011.
83.
Muttiah Muralitharan captured 67 World Cup wickets and is second in the list behind Glenn McGrath who has 71, and represented Sri Lanka in three World Cup finals.
84.
In 1996 Muttiah Muralitharan was part of Sri Lanka's World Cup winning team that defeated Australia in Lahore, Pakistan.
85.
Muttiah Muralitharan played in the 2007 World Cup final, when Australia defeated Sri Lanka in Bridgetown, Barbados.
86.
Muttiah Muralitharan picked up 23 wickets in the 2007 World Cup, and finished as the second highest wicket taker in the tournament behind Glenn McGrath.
87.
Muttiah Muralitharan was part of the 2011 team who lost the world cup final against India in Mumbai.
88.
Muttiah Muralitharan was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2011 World Cup by the ICC.
89.
Muttiah Muralitharan was left out of the Sri Lankan one-day squad to tour West Indies in April 2008.
90.
Muttiah Muralitharan has the highest number of career wickets in One Day Internationals, having overtaken Wasim Akram on 2009.
91.
On 2009, Muttiah Muralitharan dismissed Yuvraj Singh in his 327th match, the third ODI against India in Colombo to equal Akram's record.
92.
Muttiah Muralitharan won 13 Man of the Match awards in this form of the game.
93.
An aggressive lower order batsman who usually batted at No 11, Muttiah Muralitharan was known for his tendency to back away to leg and slog.
94.
Muttiah Muralitharan made valuable scores on occasion, including 30 runs against England at the Oval in 1998, including 5 fours, 38 runs against England at Galle in 2003,43 runs against Australia at Kandy in 2004 36 runs against the West Indies at Colombo in 2005, and his highest-ever ODI score, 33 not out against Bangladesh in the final of the 2009 Tri-Series in Bangladesh.
95.
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for scoring most runs in Test cricket while batting at the number 11 position.
96.
Muttiah Muralitharan currently holds the record for the most ducks ever in international cricket, with a total of 59 ducks.
97.
On 7 July 2010, Muttiah Muralitharan formally announced his retirement from Test cricket at a media briefing in Colombo.
98.
Muttiah Muralitharan confirmed that the first Test Match against India due to commence on, 2010 would be his last, but indicated that he was willing to play One-Day Internationals if it was considered necessary leading up to the 2011 World Cup, which Sri Lanka co-hosted.
99.
Muttiah Muralitharan identified Sri Lanka's World Cup win of 1996 as his greatest moment as a cricketer.
100.
Muttiah Muralitharan stated that there were some regrets during his 19-year playing career.
101.
At the start of his last match, Muttiah Muralitharan was eight short of 800 wickets.
102.
At the fall of the ninth wicket of the Indian's second innings Muttiah Muralitharan still needed one wicket to reach the milestone.
103.
Muttiah Muralitharan is the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2015.
104.
Muttiah Muralitharan has been appointed as the head coach of Thiruvallur Veerans in the 2nd edition of the TNPL.
105.
In 2014, Muttiah Muralitharan joined the Australian national team as a coaching consultant for the Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
106.
Muttiah Muralitharan was again called up for the Australian team prior to Australia's tour of Sri Lanka in 2016.
107.
The Head of SLC Thilanga Sumathipala warned Muttiah Muralitharan for attempting to coach the Australian team, the team which gave more pressure to Muttiah Muralitharan in the past due to his bowling actions.
108.
Muttiah Muralitharan said that the team which was against him in the past but now called him to coach them to play against Sri Lanka was a big victory in his career.
109.
Muttiah Muralitharan holds a number of world records, and several firsts:.
110.
In 2002, Wisden carried out a statistical analysis of all Test matches in an effort to rate the greatest cricketers in history, and Muttiah Muralitharan was ranked as the best Test bowler of all time.
111.
However, two years earlier, Muttiah Muralitharan was not named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century.
112.
Muttiah Muralitharan was selected as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2000 and in 2006.
113.
On 3 December 2007, just hours after Muttiah Muralitharan became Test cricket's leading Test wicket-taker, Marylebone Cricket Club announced it had unveiled a portrait of the Sri Lanka off-spinner at Lord's.
114.
In February 1996, just before the World Cup, Muttiah Muralitharan underwent biomechanical analysis at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology under the supervision of Prof.
115.
Muttiah Muralitharan was sent for further tests in Perth and England and was cleared again.
116.
At no stage was Muttiah Muralitharan requested to change or remodel his action, by the ICC.
117.
Up to this point in his career Muttiah Muralitharan primarily bowled two types of deliveries, namely the off-break and the topspinner.
118.
Muttiah Muralitharan continued bowling, taking his 500th Test wicket in the second Test against Australia in Kandy on 2004.
119.
Muttiah Muralitharan was censured by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board for these comments.
120.
The Muttiah Muralitharan Report produced by the University of Western Australia's study has considered the Richards study done in 1999 to evaluate the error margin.
121.
On 2 February 2006, Muttiah Muralitharan underwent a fourth round of biomechanical testing at the University of Western Australia.
122.
In July 2004 Muttiah Muralitharan was filmed in England, bowling with an arm brace on.
123.
In 2004 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Muttiah Muralitharan voluntarily performed a series of tests with live video cameras.
124.
Muttiah Muralitharan showed he could bowl all his deliveries including the doosra with an arm brace that prevents any straightening of his elbow.
125.
Two vocal critics of Muttiah Muralitharan's action have been former test cricketers, Australian Dean Jones and Bishan Bedi, the former Indian captain.
126.
Michael Holding, the former West Indian fast bowler was a critic of Muttiah Muralitharan, but withdrew his criticisms under the light of the tests carried out.
127.
Muttiah Muralitharan planned to build a second sports complex for war-displaced civilians in Mankulam, a town located 300 kilometers from north of Colombo.
128.
In June 2004, Muttiah Muralitharan joined the United Nations World Food Program as an ambassador to fight hunger among school children.
129.
Muttiah Muralitharan persuaded those who could to donate clothes, and supervised the delivery himself.
130.
Muttiah Muralitharan promptly signed an endorsement deal with Lafarge, a global cement giant, that was a straight barter, where cement would be supplied to the Foundation for Goodness in exchange for work Muttiah Muralitharan did.
131.
Netizens claimed that Muttiah Muralitharan himself is a pro Rajapaksa supporter and requested Sethupathi to leave the filming.
132.
Dravidian outfit in Coimbaitore urged Vijay Sethupathi to drop out from the project insisting that Muttiah Muralitharan supported Sinhalese during the Sri Lankan Civil War.
133.
Muttiah Muralitharan denied the allegations regarding supporting the killing of innocent civilians during the civil war and insisted that the war should not be glorified.