Spin Wizard Muttiah Muralitharan holds both the first and second positions in this list which justify his standing as the most prolific wicket-taking bowler the game of cricket has ever seen. He is the biggest match winner to emerge from Sri Lanka and has single-handedly won them numerous contests across all formats of the game.
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Muralitharan took 128 wickets in 2006 across all formats from 40 matches at an average of 20.99 including 9 five-wicket hauls which is the second highest wicket tally in a calendar year.
He took 136 wickets in 2001 across all formats from 45 matches at an average of 19.98 including 8 five-wicket hauls.
He finished his career as the leading wicket-taker in the world across all formats of the game. He has taken a whopping 1347 international wickets from 495 matches including 77 five-wicket hauls.
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About the author
Balakrishna
Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.
Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.
He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.
While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.