KANDY, Sri Lanka (Reuters)
Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan claimed the fifth-best innings figures in Test history against Zimbabwe, but rated his bowling return against England three years before as a better display.

Muralitharan, who took 9 for 51 in Zimbabwe's first innings at Kandy, said his haul of 9 for 65 at The Oval in 1998 had given him greater pleasure.

"I would rate my Oval performance against England ahead of this one because England were a much stronger team and I didn't have the support of my home crowd," he told reporters.

"I am a little bit disappointed I didn't get the (10-wicket) record, but I am quite pleased with my performance.

"On another day, luck would have gone my way and I would have got my 10th wicket. But that's part of the game."

Muralitharan began the second day needing just one more wicket for his 10 but Zimbabwe were bowled out for 236, with pace bowler Chaminda Vaas removing the last batsman Henry Olonga, caught behind by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara for 18. Muralitharan had to settle for figures of 9 for 51 off 40 overs - the fifth-best innings return in Test history.

He had been attempting to become only the third player in the game to take 10 wickets in a Test innings, after England's Jim Laker, who took 10 for 53 against Australia in Manchester in 1956, and India's Anil Kumble, who picked up 10 for 74 against Pakistan in 1999.

However Travis Friend survived a confident lbw decision off Muralitharan's fifth ball of the day before Vaas, in the very next over, forced Olonga to edge the final delivery to Sangakkara.

There had been some doubt as to whether Muralitharan would bowl on the second morning, as he had dislocated his right ring finger while trying to take a diving catch on the deep midwicket boundary off the last ball of the previous day's play.

"I was in a little bit of pain when I bowled this morning. But, with no pain, there is no gain," he said.

"Whatever catches that come your way, you have to take them. At that time, I didn't think about the tenth wicket when I went for the catch (which dislocated the finger).

"The guys are always catching mine while I am bowling and I had to do the same."

A subsequent medical examination revealed the ligaments around Muralitharan's finger joint had been torn and Sri Lanka's team physiotherapist Alex Kountouri has said the offspinner will require surgery at the end of the current Test series against Zimbabwe.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd