#1. Muttiah Muralitharan (800)
Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan combined an ability to extract prodigious turns from just about any surface with remarkable endurance that saw him bowl marathon spells in any conditions. The result? A staggering 800 Test wickets in 133 Test matches spread out over an 18-year career, a mark unlikely to be reached any time soon.
His unique action, bulging eyes, and infectious smile attracted attention right from his debut in 1992, and his supple wrists and strong shoulders ensured that batters would struggle to pick him throughout his career. His mastery of the doosra, the ball that went the other way, bamboozled many a batter in his time.
Virtually unplayable at home on spin-friendly tracks, Murali was a force to be reckoned with away from home as well, averaging 22.72 with an economy rate of 2.47 in Tests. He also has the distinction of being the bowler to have taken the most five-wicket hauls in an innings by some distance, bagging 67 fifers, 30 more than his closest rival. The one accolade that just eluded him was a 10-wicket haul in an innings, and even then he came agonisingly close as he took 9/51 against Zimbabwe in Kandy in January 2002. To date, he reigns the No.1 spot of the highest wicket-takers in Tests.
Also Read: Highest Wicket-takers in ODI History
