Test Bowling
- Matches
- 133
- Innings
- 230
- Wickets
- 800
- Best innings
- 9/51
- Bowling average
- 22.72
- Economy rate
- 2.47
- Five-wicket hauls
- 67
- Ten-wicket matches
- 22
SRI LANKA CRICKET LEGEND
Muttiah MuralitharanCareer Stats, 1,347 Wickets & Records
Former Sri Lanka off-spinner and World Cup winner
Muttiah Muralitharan took a record 1,347 international wickets, including 800 in Tests and 534 in ODIs. The 1996 World Cup winner remains international cricket's highest wicket-taker.
Player Information
Full nameMuttiah Muralitharan
Date of birth17 April 1972
BirthplaceKandy, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
RoleBowler
Batting styleRight-handed
Bowling styleRight-arm off break
International Career Stats
ODI Bowling
- Matches
- 350
- Innings
- 341
- Wickets
- 534
- Best bowling
- 7/30
- Bowling average
- 23.08
- Economy rate
- 3.93
- Five-wicket hauls
- 10
T20I Bowling
- Matches
- 12
- Innings
- 12
- Wickets
- 13
- Best bowling
- 3/29
- Bowling average
- 22.84
- Economy rate
- 6.31
Career statistics are final.
Muralitharan played his final international match in April 2011. The figures above were checked against ICC and established statistical records.
Across 495 international matches, Muralitharan claimed 1,347 wickets. His sharply turning off break, deceptive doosra, control and endurance made him Sri Lanka's leading strike bowler across nearly two decades.
Muttiah Muralitharan's 800th Test Wicket
On 22 July 2010, in the final Test of his career, Muralitharan had Pragyan Ojha caught at slip to reach exactly 800 Test wickets. He finished the Galle match against India with eight wickets as Sri Lanka completed a ten-wicket victory.
World Cup Career and Sri Lanka Legacy
Muralitharan was a member of Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning squad and later helped his country reach the 2007 and 2011 finals. His 68 Men's Cricket World Cup wickets remain the most by a spin bowler in the tournament's history.
International Debuts and Final Appearances
Test career
28 August 1992 – 22 July 2010
Debuted against Australia at Colombo and ended his Test career against India at Galle with 800 wickets.
ODI career
12 August 1993 – 2 April 2011
Debuted against India at Colombo and made his final ODI appearance in the 2011 World Cup final.
T20I career
22 December 2006 – 31 October 2010
Debuted against New Zealand at Wellington and made his final T20I appearance against Australia.
Major Records & Achievements
International wickets
Finished as the highest wicket-taker in international cricket.
Test wickets
Set the world record across 133 Test matches.
ODI wickets
Remains the leading wicket-taker in men's ODI cricket.
Test five-wicket hauls
Recorded more five-wicket innings hauls than any other Test bowler.
Ten-wicket matches
Claimed a record 22 ten-wicket match hauls in Tests.
Best Test innings
Produced his career-best Test figures against Zimbabwe at Kandy.
Honours and Legacy
World Cup winner
Helped Sri Lanka win its first men's Cricket World Cup.
Champions Trophy
Was part of Sri Lanka's joint-winning ICC Champions Trophy squad.
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
Became the first Sri Lankan inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
World Cup wickets
Leading spin-bowling wicket-taker in the men's tournament.
Sources
- ICC Hall of Fame: Muttiah Muralitharan career profile
- ICC: Muralitharan Hall of Fame induction and records
- ICC: Muralitharan's rise and international records
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