Muttiah Muralitharan Birthday Special: 9/65 Against England and Other Top Bowling Performances by Legendary Sri Lankan Off-Spinner

Arguably the greatest bowler to have stepped onto the cricket field, Muttiah Muralitharan celebrates his 48th birthday on Friday (April 17). The Sri Lankan off-spinner possessed the ability to turn the turn on the flattest of tracks and hence was a nightmare to many potent batsmen. Be it applying the brakes on the run-flow or taking wickets in the crucial moments, Muralitharan delivered more than not which made him a captain's delight. In fact, he played a key role in guiding Sri Lanka to the World Cup title in 1996. Below, we'll look at some of his best knocks. Ravichandran Ashwin Equals Muttiah Muralitharan’s Record, Becomes Joint-Fastest Bowler to Clinch 350 Test Wickets.

Making in international debut back in 1992, the spin wizard served Sri Lankan cricket for 17 years and held numerous records during the course. In fact, his tally of 534 ODI wickets and 800 Test wickets are the highest for any bowler in the two formats. To go with that, Muralitharan has claimed 77 five-wicket hauls and 22 ten-wicket hauls which again are the most for any player. Well, these numbers are certainly staggering and many even believe that the record will stand strong for quite a while. Meanwhile, on the occasion of Muralitharan's 48 birthday, let's revisit five times when he demolished opposition's batting line-up.

7/155 & 9/65 Against England At The Oval

If you think that spinners are ineffective on English soil then you are surely not aware of his Muralitharan's mayhem in the 1998 Test match at The Oval. Batting first, the star spinner put on an unexpected bowling display and scalped seven wickets in the first innings. Eyes were popped of cricket fans seeing a spinner dominating the England batsman in their own backyard and even some called the magnificent performance a mere fluke. Answering them, the right-arm bettered his spinners and took a nine-wicket haul. Riding on Murali's performance, the visitors registered a memorable 10-wicket triumph.

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6/87 & 7/84 Against South Africa in Galle

Facing Muralitharan in his own den was certainly the last thing a batsman would have wanted back in those days and the 2nd Sri Lanka vs South Africa Test in Galle backs the fact. On a track where Sanath Jayasuriya-led side piled up 522 runs after winning the toss, the Proteas batsmen fell like a pack of cards in both the innings and the man that was none other than Muralitharan. He scalped six wickets in the 2nd innings and seven in the last. As a result, South Africa failed to put on a substantial fight and lost the game by an innings and 15 runs.

8/87 Against India in Colombo

The mystery spinner has taken 166 wickets in Colombo while 11 of them came in the 3rd Test of India's 2001 Tour of Sri Lanka. Sourav Ganguly's decision of batting first after winning the toss proved to be an absolute disaster as Murali ran through the Indian batting line-up and took wickets whenever he was handed the ball. He dismissed eight batsmen in the first innings as Indian got bundled out for mere 234 runs. In reply, the home side posted 610 runs and subsequently won the game by an innings and 77 runs.

5/30 Against New Zealand in Napier

Another Muttiah Muralitharan special came during the first ODI of Sri Lanka's 2001 Tour of New Zealand. On a bowling-friendly Napier track, the Lankan batsmen were not able to put up a good fight against the Kiwi bowlers and could only post 213 runs in the first innings. The total didn't look a massive one at the first sight but proved to be enough courtesy the spin magician's stellar bowling performance. He ran through the Blackcaps batting line-up and registered his fifth five-wicket haul in ODIs. As a result, the home side was dismissed for 152 and the Lankan Lions won the game by 61 runs.

7/30 Against India in Sharjah

Muralitharan's best figures in ODIs came during Sri Lanka's clash group-stage clash against India in Coco-Cup 200. Batting first, the Sanath Jayasuriya-led side piled up 295 runs and the deck looked ideal for batting. However, that wasn't the case when India came on to bat. Muralitharan spun his web around the opposition batsmen and took wickets at regular intervals. He dismissed as many as seven players in that game as the Sourav Ganguly-led team was packed for 226 runs and hence, lost the match by 68 runs.

Along with his prowess with the bowl, Muralitharan will also be remembered for his gentle and humble behaviour which makes him a great ambassador of the game. The talismanic spinner brought curtains to his illustrious career after the conclusion of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and gave a breather to many batsmen across the globe. Post-retirement, Murali donned the coaching hat and has many many T20 franchises from various different leagues.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 17, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).