smash84
The Tiger King
Just 4 points clear of the greatest cricketer from New Zealand we have the greatest cricketer from Sri Lanka
Number 08 Muttiah Muralitharan
Highest Ranking 3
Total Points 795
Number of Votes Received 49/57
Rank in 1st Edition 12
What they said of him
He has performed in all types of wickets and terrorised batsmen across the world. No way any other bowler in the globe could surpass his feat (Erapalli Prasanna, the former Indian spin giant on Murali)
I am never going to go around looking for another Murali. Because you are never going to find any. (Kumar Sangakkara on the retirement of Murali)
The Don Bradman of Bowling (Glowing tribute from former Australian captain Steve Waugh)
Muttiah Muralitharan
Perhaps no cricketer since Douglas Jardine has polarised opinion quite like Muttiah Muralitharan. For the believers, he's among the greatest to ever spin a ball. For the doubters, he's a charlatan undeserving of the game's greatest records, responsible for changes in the laws that they think have legitimised throwing. What was undeniable was his ability to turn the ball sharply on just about any surface, and bowl the sort of marathon spells that would have seen a lesser man retire after five seasons rather than 18. Whether Sri Lanka played at home, on pitches where he was often unplayable, or overseas, Murali was the go-to man for half a dozen captains. He seldom disappointed. Backed to the hilt by Arjuna Ranatunga, he blossomed in the late 1990s, and there was a period when the opposition routinely budgeted for 20 Murali wickets or more in a three-Test series. As the years passed, his shyness gave way to a quiet confidence and wry sense of humour, and he won admirers around the world for the energy, time and money that he invested in reconstruction after a tsunami had devastated the Sri Lankan coast in 2004. Often the only Tamil in the side in a time of ethnic conflict, he became as powerful a unifying force as any in the country. That he was such a hero with ball in hand was only part of the story. After his retirement the Lankan dressing room will miss him for sure but more than them the cricket lovers will miss that angular run up the big eyes as they looked over his front shoulder at the spot where he wanted to land the ball and the delight when he snared his man. Sri Lankan and world cricket will probably not see the likes of him again. The man with the most number of test match wickets in history richly deserves a place in the pantheon of cricketing greats as the greatest off spinner of all time and he takes his place at number 8 in CW’s top 50 cricketers of all time.
Number 08 Muttiah Muralitharan
Highest Ranking 3
Total Points 795
Number of Votes Received 49/57
Rank in 1st Edition 12
What they said of him
He has performed in all types of wickets and terrorised batsmen across the world. No way any other bowler in the globe could surpass his feat (Erapalli Prasanna, the former Indian spin giant on Murali)
I am never going to go around looking for another Murali. Because you are never going to find any. (Kumar Sangakkara on the retirement of Murali)
The Don Bradman of Bowling (Glowing tribute from former Australian captain Steve Waugh)
Muttiah Muralitharan
Perhaps no cricketer since Douglas Jardine has polarised opinion quite like Muttiah Muralitharan. For the believers, he's among the greatest to ever spin a ball. For the doubters, he's a charlatan undeserving of the game's greatest records, responsible for changes in the laws that they think have legitimised throwing. What was undeniable was his ability to turn the ball sharply on just about any surface, and bowl the sort of marathon spells that would have seen a lesser man retire after five seasons rather than 18. Whether Sri Lanka played at home, on pitches where he was often unplayable, or overseas, Murali was the go-to man for half a dozen captains. He seldom disappointed. Backed to the hilt by Arjuna Ranatunga, he blossomed in the late 1990s, and there was a period when the opposition routinely budgeted for 20 Murali wickets or more in a three-Test series. As the years passed, his shyness gave way to a quiet confidence and wry sense of humour, and he won admirers around the world for the energy, time and money that he invested in reconstruction after a tsunami had devastated the Sri Lankan coast in 2004. Often the only Tamil in the side in a time of ethnic conflict, he became as powerful a unifying force as any in the country. That he was such a hero with ball in hand was only part of the story. After his retirement the Lankan dressing room will miss him for sure but more than them the cricket lovers will miss that angular run up the big eyes as they looked over his front shoulder at the spot where he wanted to land the ball and the delight when he snared his man. Sri Lankan and world cricket will probably not see the likes of him again. The man with the most number of test match wickets in history richly deserves a place in the pantheon of cricketing greats as the greatest off spinner of all time and he takes his place at number 8 in CW’s top 50 cricketers of all time.
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but I guess that's how it's always going to be with him
). Second greatest Asian behind Imran for me too.