A foot on either peak

Jan 28, 2009

Muttiah Muralitharan came of age as a bowler in 1998 during the tour of England. His match-winning figures of 5 for 34 at Lord's helped Sri Lanka lift the Emirates Triangular, rounding off one of Sri Lanka's most satisfying away tours in the 1990s•Getty Images

In 2000, the Indians virtually surrendered themselves to Murali in Sharjah as he proceeded to record his best ODI figures of 7 for 30. The Sri Lankan board even rewarded him with a cash prize of US$10,000 for his efforts•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Murali's breathtaking reflexes in the field has helped him pull off blinders, some off his own bowling. He takes a brilliant catch for the ICC World XI during the Super Series in 2005•AFP

In the Champions Trophy later that year, he overtook Waqar Younis' record of 416 wickets to emerge the second-highest wicket-taker in ODIs•Getty Images

Murali dismissed Yuvraj Singh in the third ODI against India in February to equal Wasim Akram's record of 502 ODI wickets•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Allegations of chucking haunted him later in the season. Following the Darrell Hair controversy, he was called again, this time by Ross Emerson in an ODI in Adelaide. His captain Arjuna Ranatunga rallied behind him and led his team off the field in protest•Getty Images

Back in Sharjah two years later, he saved his meanest spell for the New Zealanders, finishing with 5 for 9 in ten miserly overs•Getty Images

Wasim Akram's haul of 502 ODI wickets was set in 2003 and the most serious contender to challenge that record was Murali. He inched closer with his 400th wicket, dismissing Johan van der Wath for a first-ball duck during the 2005-06 CB Series•Getty Images

Murali took 23 wickets in the 2007 World Cup to help Sri Lanka to the finals. Perhaps his most incisive spell came against India, when he bagged three wickets, took two catches and ripped millions of Indian hearts as they all but went crashing out of the tournament•Getty Images

The chucking allegations and taunting by the Australian crowds left him bitter. After initially refusing to tour the country, he put aside his differences and agreed to tour, this time for a good cause. He turned out for the Asia XI in the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal ODI at the MCG•Mark Dadswell/Getty Images

However, his reputation as a miserly bowler took a thrashing when he leaked 99 runs in the tournament final against Australia. It was, at that time, the most expensive figures for a ten-over spell•Getty Images

One of the most freakish and entertaining tailenders around, he was the unlikely hero in Sri Lanka's miraculous victory in the tri-series final against Bangladesh in January 2009. He blazed 33 off 16 balls in the third Powerplay when the tank was virtually running on empty•AFP