Only West Indian off-spinner Lance Gibbs stands ahead of him with 309 wickets from 79 Tests. Gibbs took his 200th wicket in his 46th Test, and Muralitharan, who requires only six more, may reach it quicker. He has the England second innings to achieve the mark. On his way to taking seven wickets against England, Muralitharan passed Jim Laker's tally of 193 wickets taken from 46 Tests.
The following are the top off-spinners in Test history (qualifcation 150 wickets):
| Bowler | Team | ||
| L.R. Gibbs (West Indies) | West Indies | ||
| M. Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | ||
| J.C. Laker | England | ||
| E.A.S. Prasanna | India | ||
| H.J. Tayfield | South Africa | ||
| S. Ramadhin | West Indies | ||
| F.J. Titmus | England |
(All figures correct till August 27, 1998)