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The century's outstanding bowler
Wisden CricInfo staff - January 15, 2002
Conventional cricket wisdom says that spin bowlers don't mature fully until their thirties. If that's the case, heaven help the cricket world when Muttiah Muralitharan turns 30 on April 17.
Having got his first blocks of 100 wickets in 27, 15 and 16 Tests, Murali sped from 300 to 400 in just 14 matches, a rate of acceleration that would do a MacLaren F1 proud.
The World Test Championship means more matches, more wickets, more five-fors, more records. Based upon a projected 15 Tests per year, and at his current rate of progress, Murali would only need to play until he's 36 to hit 1000 Test wickets. Not likely - he won't be playing Bangladesh and Zimbabwe all the time, for one - but when you consider other modern offpinners (Colin Miller is still going at 37, John Emburey played until he was 42) not entirely impossible either.
Certainly, injury permitting, he should end up with around 800 wickets. Not bad for a man who looked like he might stall on 80 wickets when Darrell Hair no-balled him seven times for throwing at the MCG in 1995-96. And that estimate is based on Murali carrying on at his current rate. If he's yet to hit top gear, no bowling record in the book is safe.
Since January 1, 2000, Muralitharan has taken 177 wickets in 24 matches at an average of 19.03. In the same period only two other bowlers have managed 100 wickets: Glenn McGrath has 111 (in 23 matches) and Shaun Pollock 100 (in 25).
Murali has also taken 16 five-fors and eight ten-fors in the 21st century. In the same time nobody else has taken more than McGrath's seven five-fors, and only two bowlers - McGrath and Harbhajan Singh - have more than one ten-for. They each have two.
He bowled 58.3 overs in the first innings, the 19th time he has bowled 50 overs or more in a Test innings. He has also bowled between 40 and 49.5 overs a further 21 times. He has bowled in 118 Test innings, and has bowled 40 or more overs in 34% of them.
Murali's 100th wicket came in his 27th Test, after which he had 101 wickets. Since then he has taken a further 303 in only 45 Tests: that's 6.73 per match. Of his 404 wickets, 260 have come at home (in 43 matches) at an average of 21.15, and 144 away (in 29 matches) at 27.85.
Muralitharan took his 33rd five-for in the first innings and is now only three away from equalling Sir Richard Hadlee's record.
Those fizzing, ripping offbreaks have become virtually unplayable, especially early in an innings: of wickets 301-400, Murali dismissed 19 for a duck and 50 in single figures. And of those 100 wickets, a startling 31 were bowled and a further 24 lbw. That's 55% out to balls that were hitting the stumps.
Henry Olonga was the unwitting participant in a historical moment for the second time in Tests. He was also Courtney Walsh's 435th victim, which took him past Kapil Dev as the greatest wickettaker in Test history. Other less-celebrated scalps include the New Zealand pair of Paul Wiseman (Shane Warne's 356th, making him the most prolific in Australian history) and Shayne O'Connor (Allan Donald's 300th), and also Matthew Hoggard (Anil Kumble's 300th)
Murali's bunny is Grant Flower, who he has dismissed 10 times. Next up up are Mark Boucher (8), Daryll Cullinan, Waqar Younis and Yousuf Youhana (7). Of Murali's 15 most frequent victims, only two (Gary Kirsten and Andy Flower) are left-handers.
Murali has taken 73 Zimbabwean wickets in Tests, more than against any other country. His record against each country reads:
| Team |
M |
Wkts |
Av |
| Bangladesh |
1 |
10 |
11.10 |
Zimbabwe |
12 |
73 |
17.10 |
| West Indies |
6 |
44 |
18.86 |
South Africa |
10 |
70 |
21.37 |
| England |
5 |
35 |
. 23.25 |
New Zealand |
8 |
39 |
23.38 |
| Pakistan |
11 |
60 |
24.91 |
| India |
12 |
51 |
32.94 |
| Australia |
7 |
22 |
41.90 |
Rob Smyth is on the staff of Wisden.com.
© Wisden CricInfo Ltd
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