Muttiah Muralitharan, who goes into the third Test at Galle tomorrow needing only five wickets to reach 400 in Tests, has entered the Wisden 100 list of the alltime greatest Test performances at No. 21 with his 9 for 51 at Kandy last week. The entry is Murali's fourth in the Wisden 100, a total matched by no other contemporary bowler. He is also at Nos. 11, 41 and 71. His fellow unorthodox offspinners, Harbhajan Singh and Saqlain Mushtaq, have two entries each, but no other current Test bowler has more than one.

What makes Murali's latest entry more remarkable is that it was achieved against Zimbabwe, whose batsmen, apart from Andy Flower, are rated very low. His match figures of 13 for 115 has also made the Wisden 100 for match returns, coming in at No. 46.

At Kandy, Murali was within a dropped catch of becoming only the third man to take all ten wickets in a Test innings. He had figures of 9 for 51 when Russel Arnold spilt a bat-pad chance; in the following over, Chaminda Vaas took the tenth wicket.

The only thing which clouded the match for Murali was that he dislocated a finger attempting to take a diving catch - but there was no question of his missing the Galle Test. "Murali would even bowl on one leg to play in the match," said Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore.

Of the six bowlers who have passed 400 wickets, Richard Hadlee was the quickest (and the first), reaching the landmark in his 80th Test. The most recent bowler to join the 400 Club was Shane Warne who, at 31, also became the youngest. Murali is just 29.

As if he needed any more help, Galle is one of Murali's favourite grounds. In seven Tests there he has taken 51 wickets at less than 17. Given Zimbabwe's recent form, the odds must be on him breaking the record sooner rather than later.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd