Sri Lanka off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took his 709th Test wicket on Monday to move to the top of the list above Australian Shane Warne.
Muralitharan bowled England’s Paul Collingwood for 45 shortly before lunch on the third day of the first Test, sparking wild celebrations in Kandy.
England kept Muralitharan at bay during his first spell of the morning but he struck immediately in his second, bowling Collingwood from around the wicket.
The wicket, greeted with fireworks from Sri Lankan supporters, completed Muralitharan’s 61st five-wicket haul in Tests.
Warne retired from Test cricket this year with 708 wickets from 145 matches. Muralitharan (35) reached the milestone in his 116th game.
Muralitharan had previously held the world record after surpassing West Indian fast bowler Courtney Walsh (519 wickets) in 2004, but he was subsequently overtaken by Warne after suffering a shoulder injury that year.
Muralitharan holds other bowling records in Test cricket including the most five-wicket (61) and ten-wicket hauls (20).
The 35-year-old is renowned for extracting prodigious turn from his unique rubber-wristed bowling action.
Muralitharan has also developed a special delivery called a ”doosra” that spins in the opposite direction to his usual off spinner.
His career has been controversial, with Australian umpires no-balling him for chucking the ball during 1995 and 1999 tours of Australia.
The controversy over Muralitharan’s action continues despite him being cleared by the International Cricket Council after extensive biomechanical tests. – Reuters