Five bowlers who picked up a wicket with the last ball of their careers

Wickets are always special to a bowler, however, and whenever they may come. Bowlers toil relentlessly to lure the batsman into a false stroke to bring about a crucial wicket for their side.

The cricketing fraternity has witnessed innumerable veteran bowlers who have dominated opposition batsmen. But, not every stalwart can boast of a wicket on the final delivery of their illustrious careers. There have been very few eminent gentlemen who have achieved this rare feat in the history of cricket.

We take a look at five such bowlers who have picked a wicket on the last ball of their careers in any format.

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Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath.

Legendary Australian speedster Glenn McGrath is amongst the greatest bowlers to have ever played the game. The dynamic seamer, who was especially known for his ability to consistently bowl through an immaculate line and length, holds an incredible record of picking up a wicket on the final delivery of his Test career, ODI career, and Twenty20 career.

In the final ball of his Test career, McGrath cleverly rolled his fingers over the seam of the ball as England's James Anderson, unable to perceive the deception, chipped it up in the air lobbing a straightforward catch to Mike Hussey at mid-on.

The accomplished medium-pacer dismissed Paul Nixon on his last ball in ODIs and Paul Collingwood with his final delivery in limited-overs internationals.

McGrath concluded his phenomenal international career with 949 wickets across formats.

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Muttiah Muralitharan

Former Sri Lankan off-break Muttiah Muralitharan finished his magnificent Test career on a high note dismissing Pragyan Ojha with his final delivery in a Test match against India at Galle. Hailed for flummoxing batsmen with his tremendous spin bowling, Murali even completed his tally of a staggering 800 Test wickets with the dismissal of the Indian tail-ender.

The prodigious tweaker also owns the world record for the highest number of international wickets in all the formats combined (1347).

Former Sri Lankan off-break bowler Muttiah Muralitharan.

Invitingly tossing the ball further up, the spin wizard induced a faint edge from Ojha to a waiting Mahela Jayawardhane in the first slip.

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Sir Richard Hadlee

Hostile New Zealand quick Sir Richard Hadlee was an unparalleled exponent of fast swing bowling. The ferocious speedster was the centerpiece of the Black Caps' ascent in the longest version of the sport.

Hadlee caught Malcolm LBW to strike on the ultimate delivery of his career. (pc- google)

Following an exquisite 86-run knock in the first innings, Hadlee caught England's D. Malcolm plumb in front of the wickets to strike on the ultimate delivery before bidding adieu to international cricket.

Esteemed for his lethal outswinger, the right-arm paceman also holds the record for becoming the first player to achieve the prestigious double of scoring 1,000 runs and simultaneously taking 100 wickets in ODI history.

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Lasith Malinga

Probably one of the most influential limited-overs specialist bowlers, Lasith Malinga gained a reputation for snaring perfect toe-crushing yorkers from a characteristic slingy round-arm action. Boasting of a well-directed bumper, the unconventional Sri Lankan fast bowler has often muzzled batsmen with his cunning alterations of pace.

Malinga claimed the wicket of Mustafizur Rahman with his last ball.

In his final one-dayer versus Bangladesh at Colombo, the superstar bowler claimed the wicket of Mustafizur Rahman who scooped up a dipping slower delivery only to be caught comfortably by Thisara Perera at mid-off. Thereby, Malinga entered the unique pool of cricketers to have achieved the feat of picking up a wicket on the last delivery before retirement.

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Adam Gilchrist

Surprisingly, the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist also makes it to the coveted list.

Adam Gilchrist is the surprise entry in the coveted list.

Having already called time on his international career, the flamboyant wicket-keeper batsman was playing the final match of his competitive career when he casually rolled his arm over to astonishingly pick-up the wicket of Harbhajan Singh, who miscued a wild slog to be caught by Gurkeerat Man on the long-on fence in an Indian Premier League match.

The overjoyed Aussie cricketer instantaneously broke into the 'Gangnam Style' dance.

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