http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Muttiah-Muralitharan-c78157 chasing 800th wicket in final Test
Muttiah Muralitharan, the bowler who has claimed more Test wickets than any other, will be seeking to reach the 800-wicket mark to cap his already distinguished career when he plays his final Test in just a few days time.
The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 at Galle between July 18th and 22nd to become the first bowler in the history of the five-day format to break through the 800-wicket barrier.
While the 38-year-old’s bowling action has not been without controversy throughout the 132 Tests his career has spanned, the 792 Test wickets and 515 ODI victims (also a record) Muralitharan has claimed so far demonstrate just how effective it has been over the past 18 years.
It’s a controversy that memorably came to a head for the first time with umpire Darrell Hair’s decision to call Murali for throwing in the Melbourne Boxing Day Test in 1995, adding fuel to the fire of speculation that his bent-arm action was illegal, before biomechanical analysis subsequently concluded it was within the rules.
That may have been the first time the spinner’s bowling action was officially called into question, but it has by no means been the last, with officials Sri Lanka’s 1998-99 tour to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 and a home series against Australia in 2004 raising the issue of Muralitharan’s bowling action and leading to further testing.
Throughout it all though, Murali has continued to pick up wickets as he mastered the doosra (the delivery that match referee Chris Broad called into question in 2004) and has attacked opposition batsman with an aggressive brand of off-spin bowling.
It’s an approach that has meant that with one Test remaining in his career, Muralitharan has collected 84 more wickets than his nearest rival, none other than Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne who finished his Test career with a total of 708 wickets from 145 matches and is recognised as one of the all-time greats of the game.
Despite the controversy that has plagued Murali’s career, his record-setting wicket taking efforts have also ensured he’s earned his place alongside the likes of Warne in the cricketing elite.
Reaching the 800-wicket mark would be the icing on the cake for Murali, but even if the spinner falls short when he seeks to weave his Test bowling magic against India for the last time in his career in Galle, his will be a record that is surely set to remain the benchmark for a long, long time to come.
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