SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Muralitharan claims 800th test wicket

Muttiah Muralitharan has become the first man to reach 800 Test wickets with his final delivery in Test cricket.

Muralitharan _Sri_lanka_B_AAP_100722_268409194

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP


Skip to article content

World bowling record-holder Muttiah Muralitharan retired with 800 Test wickets on Thursday as Sri Lanka thumped India by 10 wickets in their first Test.

The off-spinner had last man Pragyan Ojha caught at slip by Mahela Jayawardene to reach the landmark and terminate India's second innings in the post-lunch seesion of the final day's play.

India, who were made to follow on 244 runs behind, were bowled out for 338 in their second knock, leaving Sri Lanka a modest target of 95 runs in the opening match of the three-Test series.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The hosts cruised home without losing a wicket as Tharanga Paranavitana followed his first-innings century with 23 not out and Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed an unbeaten 68 off 47 balls.

Dilshan signalled the emphatic win by lofting off-spinner Harbhajan Singh over long-on for six.

"We could not have scripted it better," said Sri Lanka's captain Kumar Sangakkara. "We won the match and Murali got his 800. There has not been a better bowler in the game than him.

"Our focus was always on winning the match. The second day was washed out, but the team responded superbly after that. It was great to see (Lasith) Malinga come back strongly and pick up a fiver in the second innings.

"There won't be another Murali, so I won't even try to find one. But we have capable replacements and we are focused on winning the series."

Muralitharan, 38, who has taken more Test (800) and one-day (515) wickets than any bowler in history, remains open to playing limited-overs games.

He claimed 5-63 in the first innings of his final appearance and 3-128 in the second to set up the hosts' victory at the Galle International Stadium.

Some 15,000 fans, including Muralitharan's parents, his Indian wife, Madhimalar, and four-year old son, Naren, faced anxious moments before the landmark was achieved.

The spinner needed 23 overs to move from 799 to 800 wickets following a doughty rearguard action by India, whose last three wickets added 141 runs after being 197-7 at one stage.

Venkatsai Laxman led the fightback with a defiant 69, adding 49 for the eighth wicket with debutant Abhimanyu Mithun and 68 for the ninth with Ishant Sharma.

"This is obviously not an ideal start to the series," said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "But we did miss our senior seamers like the injured Zaheer Khan.

"Murali showed what a great bowler he is, but we found Malinga more difficult to pick. He is a different kind of bowler and would trouble even the batsmen who are set."

India had added five runs to their overnight total of 181-5 when Malinga bowled Dhoni with a toe-crushing yorker to claim his fourth wicket in the innings.

Muralitharan, who dismissed Yuvraj Singh off the last ball on Wednesday, trapped Harbhajan Singh leg-before in the day's fourth over to move to 799 wickets.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world