December 04, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 23, 1428

KANDY, Dec 3: Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan become Test cricket’s most successful bowler on Monday after surpassing retired Shane Warne’s record tally of 708.

The champion off-spinner, playing his 116th Test, bowled Paul Collingwood in the morning session of the third day of the first Test against England here to grab the record in his home town.

The feat marks a new high in the 15-year career of one of the most celebrated bowlers of the modern game whose controversial bent-arm action was questioned in the past by umpires.

Muralitharan had previously held the record briefly in 2004 when he overtook West Indian fast bowler Courtney Walsh’s 519-wicket mark, before Warne surpassed him.

Muralitharan’s 61st five-wicket haul — he finished with 6-55 to take his tally to 710 — saw England being bowled out for 281 on the third morning in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 188.

The beaming Sri Lankan told a TV interviewer during the lunch break that “it was the right time” to achieve the record.

“It’s my hometown, my parents are here, my wife is here, all the relatives are here and all my school friends,” said Muralitharan. “It’s a bigger moment than if I had taken it in Australia. It’s the right time, I think. It’s not easy to take six wickets in an innings but I managed to let my pressure off now.”

Muralitharan stated he regarded the 16 wickets he took against England at The Oval in 1998 as his best performance.

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene saluted his master spinner, saying Murali was not only the best bowler in the world but also the ideal team-mate.

“He is hungry for wickets but for him the team comes first,” Jayawardene said. “At team meetings, he always talks about how to get the opposition out, how to win matches. It is always about the team, never about how we get another record. With that attitude, he will go on for a long, long time.”

Meanwhile, Warne, paying rich tributes to his fellow-spinning great, said in Australia that Muralitharan’s record will stand for ever.

“I congratulate Murali for breaking the record I had,” said Warne. “Murali has said he wanted to take 1000 Test wickets and he is every chance of getting there. If he does I don’t think anyone else will catch him. Despite what people say he’ll be remembered as one of the game’s great bowlers.”

Top ten bowlers in Test cricket:

(Tabulated under bowlers, matches, wickets, average, best bowling, five wickets in innings, 10 wickets in match):

Muttiah Muralitharan (SRI) 116 710 21.77 9-51 61 20

Shane Warne (AUS) 145 708 25.41 8-71 37 10

Anil Kumble (IND) 119 573 28.56 10-74 33 8

Glenn McGrath (AUS) 124 563 21.64 8-24 29 3

Courtney Walsh (WIS) 132 519 24.44 7-37 22 3

Kapil Dev (IND) 131 434 29.64 9-83 23 2

Richard Hadlee (NZL) 86 431 22.29 9-52 36 9

Shaun Pollock (RSA) 107 416 23.19 7-87 16 1

Wasim Akram (PAK) 104 414 23.62 7-119 25 5

Curtley Ambrose (WIS) 98 405 20.99 8-45 22 3

* Muralitharan’s 116th Test is in progress.

* Kumble’s figures do not include the ongoing Test in Kolkata.—Agencies