On This Day (Apr. 17): A Look at Muttiah Muralitharan's Crazy Stats & Records on His B'day
- Rohit Chatterjee
- 3 days ago
- 3 minutes read
On July 22, 2010, Muttiah Muralitharan picked up his 800th Test wicket
For as long as we can remember, the world of cricket has always prioritised and spotlighted batsmen. However, in the game’s history, some bowlers achieved feats that forced the world of cricket to shift towards bowlers. One such persona is Sri Lanka’s Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan, the right-arm off-break bowler who holds the record for the most wickets in international cricket – a record that remains intact even though he retired 16 years ago.
On this day, i.e., April 17, as Murali turns a year older, we revisit some of his crazy stats and records that literally make him the best bowler in cricket’s history.
International wickets
Muralitharan walked into his final Test with 792 wickets already in the bag.
— Nibraz Ramzan (@nibraz88cricket) April 8, 2026
Needed 8 more.
Took 5 in the first innings, 2 before he bowled his last ball, then, on the very last ball of his entire Test career, boom.
800. pic.twitter.com/CgWh0a99d9
In Test cricket, Murali holds the record for grabbing 800 wickets in 133 matches, the highest in the format’s history. His best figure stood at 9/51 in a single Test innings, whereas his average economy rate stayed at 22.71. Murali also holds the record for having the greatest number of wickets in ODIs, i.e., 534 wickets in 350 matches. Combined, he grabbed a total of 1,347 international wickets – a record that is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.
Most 10-wicket hauls
The Sri Lankan bowler with an unorthodox bowling action also holds the record for grabbing the highest number of 10-wicket hauls in Test cricket. No active players in the top five are close to Murali’s record, so it's unlikely any bowler will achieve this feat soon.
Maximum five-wicket hauls
On this day in 1992, Muttiah Muralitharan debuted vs Australia in Colombo with 3 wickets. Today, he reigns supreme as the spin king with a record 67 Test fifers, the most by any bowler! 🐐🔥
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) August 28, 2025
( Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka, CricTracker, Test Cricket) pic.twitter.com/mBRDvV5XQK
When it comes to five-wicket hauls in Test cricket, the former Sri Lankan holds this record as well. On 67 different occasions, Murali grabbed five-wicket hauls in Test cricket, which is simply remarkable. The second person in the list is Ravichandran Ashwin with 37 hauls. Once again, this record, too, is likely to be broken in the next 10 or 15 years.
Fastest to 400, 500, 600, and 700
600 Wickets in 86 Tests 🔥
— Yogen (@Cric_Quizzer) February 5, 2024
This is what Muttiah Muralitharan achieved between his 101st to 700th wicket, over a decade from March 1997 to July 2007.
Yes I'm cherry picking numbers here but this was madness regardless!#INDvsENGTest #ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/ws5lPOiRbr
Muralitharan was way ahead of time, and therefore, milestones came to him early. He recorded the fastest 400th, 500th, 600th and 700th Test wickets. Technically, even the 800th belongs to him, but no other bowler has reached the 800-mark. It will be interesting to see if anyone breaks any of the records mentioned, but we don't think they will be shattered.
1,711 days at the top
Last but not least, the Sri Lankan stayed #1 in test bowling rankings for a record 1,711 days. During this period, he played 214 Test matches.
Six years after he retired, the legendary bowler was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2016.
