Muttiah Muralitharan is the one of most successful bowlers in the history of international cricket. The Sri Lankan off-spinner created an exceptional career based on his accuracy, varieties and wicket-taking ability in a way to get wickets nearly all the time regardless of whatever conditions he was bowling under. He retired with world class records of 800 wickets from 133 Tests and 534 wickets from 350 ODIs – records that still rank among the greatest achievements in the game to this date.
Muralitharan played for his national side between 1992 and 2011 as a key member of Sri Lanka’s cricketing golden age, including victory in the 1996 Cricket World Cup. He was also the inaugural Sri Lankan cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame with his induction being announced in 2016, but formally completed in 2017.
Muttiah Muralitharan Biography – Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Muttiah Muralitharan |
| Date of Birth | 17 April 1972 |
| Birthplace | Kandy, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Role | Bowler |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm off-break |
| International Career | 1992–2011 |
| Test Matches | 133 |
| Test Wickets | 800 |
| ODI Matches | 350 |
| ODI Wickets | 534 |
The ICC records Muralitharan’s date of birth as 17 April 1972 and his international debut as 28 August 1992.
Muttiah Muralitharan Early Life and Cricket Journey
Muralitharan was born in the island of Kandy, Sri Lanka and he became a specialist spinner after 7th grade playing cricket. He went on to represent his country at all domestic levels until he finally made it into the Sri Lankan national team and debuted internationally in 1992.
It was a slow climb, not an instant rise. ICC records show that despite his first three years in Test cricket yielding 81 wickets from 23 Tests, he was a more serious threat in the subsequent years. Eventually he became Sri Lanka’s leading strike bowler and one of the most challenging spinners in world cricket for batsmen to face.
Muttiah Muralitharan Wife
Muttiah Muralitharan is married to Madhimalar Ramamurthy, who is from Chennai, India. The couple got married in March 21, 2005. Madhimalar is the daughter of Dr. S. Ramamurthy and Dr. Nithya Ramamurthy. The couple has a son named Naren, who was born in January 2006.
Muttiah Muralitharan Children
Muttiah Muralitharan and his wife, Madhimalar Ramamurthy, have two children, a son named Naren and a daughter named Krisha. Naren was born in January 2006. Public information about their children is relatively limited, as the family generally maintains a private personal life.
| Details | Information |
| Father | Muttiah Muralitharan |
| Mother | Madhimalar Ramamurthy |
| Total Children | 2 |
| Son | Naren |
| Daughter | Krisha |
| Naren’s Birth | January 2006 |
| Family | Muttiah Muralitharan, Madhimalar Ramamurthy and two children |
Muttiah Muralitharan Stats
Master stats such as above prove the case for one of the best ever bowling careers in cricket history- Muttiah Muralitharan. In 133 Tests, he claimed total of 800 wickets, in 350 ODIs he grabbed total of 534 wickets and In T20I Cricket38 games he took total of 13 Wickets He also holds the record for 67 Test five-wicket hauls and 22 ten-wicket match hauls, ending with a combined tally of 1,347 international wickets.
Here is a clean table you can use in your biography article. The key career figures are supported by ICC records.
| Muttiah Muralitharan Stats | Test | ODI | T20I |
| Matches | 133 | 350 | 12 |
| Wickets | 800 | 534 | 13 |
| Five-Wicket Hauls | 67 | NA | NA |
| Ten-Wicket Match Hauls | 22 | NA | NA |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm off-break | Right-arm off-break | Right-arm off-break |
| International Career | 1992–2010 | 1993–2011 | 2006–2011 |
Muttiah Muralitharan Overall Stats
| Category | Career Record |
| Total International Wickets | 1,347 |
| Test Wickets | 800 |
| ODI Wickets | 534 |
| T20I Wickets | 13 |
| Test Matches | 133 |
| ODI Matches | 350 |
| T20I Matches | 12 |
| Test 5-Wicket Hauls | 67 |
| Test 10-Wicket Hauls | 22 |
ICC confirms that Muralitharan finished with 800 Test wickets, 534 ODI wickets and 13 T20I wickets, giving him 1,347 international wickets.
Muttiah Muralitharan International Career
Muralitharan had close to two decades of international career. By this time, he was an integral part of the Sri Lanka Test and ODI teams.
He had kept on taking wickets regularly. He was fit enough to bowl long spells in Test and relentless at bowling batsmen, whilst his variations also made him hugely effective in the shorter formats.
Muralitharan was on the verge of becoming a top international wicket-taker by the time his career began in earnest. ICC’s numbers suggest that he finally ended with 1,347 international wickets when you merge Tests, ODIs and T20I stats.
Muttiah Muralitharan Test Career
Muralitharan’s most astonishing numbers were to be produced in Test cricket. The ICC lists him with an unprecedented 800 wickets in 133 Tests
In Tests, the agile bowler took 67 five-wicket hauls and 22 ten-wicket match hauls. These numbers show how often he was able to turn games with his bowling rather than merely offer timely wickets.
One of the key aspects of Muralitharan’s Test career was his consistency. His success wasn’t limited to one era or a select group of opponents. For years, he was Sri Lanka’s go-to spin-bowling weapon.
Muttiah Muralitharan 800 Test Wickets
Muralitharan’s most celebrated landmark came in his final Test against India at Galle, July 2010.
Having walked into the match with 792 Test wickets, he needed eight more to reach the massive milestone of 800 wickets. By the end of the match, he was slowly edging towards the landmark. He took his 800th wicket when he got out Pragyan Ojha, absurdly, this was the last ball of the Test cricket played by him.
This meant that Muralitharan ended his Test career with exactly 800 wickets, which had become one of the best endings an international career could have. According to ICC, his Test bowling average is 22.72.
Muttiah Muralitharan ODI Career
Muralitharan had played an equally important role in ODI cricket. He appeared in 350 ODIs and picked up 534 wickets, which the ICC records as the most dismissals by a male player in ODIs.
His ODI career spanned from 1993 until 2011 and included a period in which Sri Lanka developed into one of the leading teams in world cricket. In ODIs, his skills at taking wickets and controlling scoring made him useful both in the first half and the second half of an innings.
A total of 1,347 wickets with the ball in all formats globally that shows how unbelievably blessed we were to witness his genius.
Muttiah Muralitharan World Cup Career
He featured in five Cricket World Cups and was a part of Sri Lanka’s winning squad in the 1996 edition. Muralitharan enjoyed one of the pinnacle moments of his career with Sri Lanka winning the 1996 World Cup.
In all World Cup cricket, he bagged 68 wickets in 42 matches. ICC crowned him as the highest wicket-taker for spin in men’s Cricket World Cup. And also, he played in two World Cup finals: 1996 and 2007 were the other two but of course he played in the final in 2011.
Among many best, the 2011 World Cup was a tail end too because this was his international career finale. His last match in the world stage was the World Cup final vs India at Mumbai.
Muttiah Muralitharan Bowling Style
Muralitharan-ball right-arm off-spin and was known to generate different deliveries from the same action. His bowling was a mix of accuracy, turn, variations and changes of pace that kept batsmen on their toes.
The doosraOne of the better known aspects of his bowling was the doosra, which is a delivery that turns in the opposite direction to what a batsman would expect given a standard off-break. This variation has now given another layer to his extremely challenging bowling.
But it wasn’t just spin that made him as effective. He could build pressure for hours at a stretch, attack batsmen with varying angles of attack and subtle variations resulting in errors.
Muttiah Muralitharan Records and Achievements
| Record / Achievement | Details |
| Test wickets | 800 |
| ODI wickets | 534 |
| International wickets | 1,347 |
| Test five-wicket hauls | 67 |
| Test 10-wicket match hauls | 22 |
| World Cup wickets | 68 |
| Test matches | 133 |
| ODI matches | 350 |
| ICC Hall of Fame | Inducted in 2016 |
ICC also records that Muralitharan spent a record 1,711 days at No. 1 in the ICC Test bowling rankings.
Muttiah Muralitharan ICC Hall of Fame
As of 2016, Muralitharan was announced as an ICC Cricket Hall of Fame inductee. No Sri Lanka player had previously claimed the accolade. He was formally inducted in June during the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, which was held in England.
The announcement was indicative of how important his career during Test and ODI cricket has been. The inescapable statistics mentioned around his international career continue to be his 800 Test wickets and another 534 ODI scalps.
Muttiah Muralitharan Retirement
Muralitharan called time on his Test cricket career in 2010, taking the phenomenal number of 800 wickets – ending with that number after his last ever Test [against India]. He continued playing limited-overs cricket and toured with Sri Lanka for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
He played his last international match at the 2011 World Cup final against India. Muralitharan had announced his retirement from international cricket which spanned from 1992 to 2011, despite Sri Lanka losing the final.
Muttiah Muralitharan Legacy
Much of Muttiah Muralitharan’s legacy rests on his unparalleled wicket-taking record and the impact he has had on Sri Lankan cricket. He turned the specialist spinner role into a significant match-winning weapon and continued to be effective for nearly two decades.
Situated amongst those figures are 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets, which makes for a rather brief summary of his career. He fitted into that World Cup-winning squad of Sri Lanka in 1996, played many big international tournaments and went on to become one of his generation’s defining bowlers.
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FAQs About Muttiah Muralitharan
How many Test wickets did Muttiah Muralitharan take?
Muttiah Muralitharan took 800 wickets in 133 Test matches. He finished his Test career as the leading wicket-taker in the format.
How many ODI wickets did Muttiah Muralitharan take?
He took 534 wickets in 350 ODI matches, a record that the ICC identifies as the most ODI wickets in men’s cricket.
When did Muttiah Muralitharan retire?
He retired from Test cricket in 2010 and played his final international match in the 2011 Cricket World Cup final against India.
How many international wickets did Muttiah Muralitharan take?
Muralitharan finished with 1,347 international wickets across Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
How many World Cup wickets did Muttiah Muralitharan take?
He took 68 wickets in 42 World Cup matches across five tournaments.
Conclusion
Muttiah Muralitharan continues to be one of the most statistically successful bowlers internationally. He ended his career with 800 Test wickets, 534 ODI wickets and 1,347 international wickets to go along with a world cup title in 1996 with Australia and also being inducted to the ICC Hall of Fame. The final Test wicket of his career – struck with the very last ball he bowled for Sri Lanka in the longest form – brought to an end a spectacular era in that country’s cricket story.
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