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Murali: 400 wickets ... and counting
Wisden CricInfo staff - January 11, 2002
When Muttiah Muralitharan dismissed Henry Olonga, he became the seventh bowler, the first Sri Lankan and only the second spinner to take 400 Test wickets. The others are: Courtney Walsh (519), Kapil Dev (434), Richard Hadlee (431), Shane Warne (430), Wasim Akram (414) and Curtly Ambrose (405) (leading Test wicket-takers).
Murali is the youngest to reach 400 Test wickets, and has done so in the quickest time. He is 29 years, 273 days old; the previous youngest was Shane Warne at 31. And this is Murali's 72nd Test: it took Hadlee 80, Warne 92, Akram 96, Ambrose 97, Walsh 107 and Kapil 115.
Murali has moved from 300 to 400 in just 14 matches. He took his 300th Test wicket against South Africa at Durban in 2000-01.
Forgotten in the euphoria surrounding Murali's feat was that Sanath Jayasuriya's 5 for 43 was his first five-wicket haul in Tests.
After managing no whitewashes in their first 26 three-match series, spread over 20 years, Sri Lanka have now had two in a row: they also beat West Indies 3-0 in December and January. This was also the first time Zimbabwe had been whitewashed in five three-match series.
Zimbabwe's second innings lasted just one session and is believed to be the first instance of a side being bowled out in a session in a Test since West Indies were dismissed for 54 by England at Lord's in 2000.
Another recent example of a side being bowled out in one session was, believe it or not, Australia. In an elongated, four-hour evening session at the MCG in 1998-99, they were bowled out for 162 in 46.4 overs by England, with Dean Headley taking 6 for 60 to secure a famous 12-run win.
Zimbabwe were all out for 79, the lowest score by a touring team in a Test in Sri Lanka. It surpasses the 90 made by Bangladesh at the SSC in Colombo last year. The lowest score in a Test in Sri Lanka is 71, which the hosts made against Pakistan - or more precisely Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram - at Kandy in 1994-95.
The margin of 315 runs was Sri Lanka's biggest victory by a runs margin in their 121-Test history. Their previous-best was by 241 runs, against New Zealand at Napier in 1994-95. This was Sri Lanka's 29th Test win.
Sri Lanka have now won eight Tests in a row, all of them at home. Their previous-best run of consecutive wins was three, agaoinst New Zealand and England in 1997-98.
Sri Lanka's run of home wins is not a record. Eleven of Australia's 16 consecutive wins took place in Australia, and that run extended to 12 home wins in all.
This was Sri Lanka's fifth consecutive Test victory at Galle, and all by whopping margins: two by an innings, two by ten wickets, and this one by 315 runs.
Excluding matches against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe have now lost 15 and won only one of their last 24 Tests.
After reaching 153 for 0 in their first innings, Zimbabwe lost 20 wickets for 162 runs. Their collapse was reminiscent of West Indies' at Lord's in 2000, when they reached 162 for 1 in their first innings and then lost 19 wickets for 159.
Stuart Carlisle and Trevor Gripper added 153, a record for Zimbabwe's first-wicket against Sri Lanka. It surpasses the 113 added by Grant Flower and Mark Dekker at Harare in 1994-95. This is the 13th Test between the sides. Carlisle and Gripper were only 11 short of Zimbabwe's best opening partnership against anyone, 164 by Dion Ebrahim and Alistair Campbell against West Indies at Bulawayo in 2001.
It is also the highest opening partnership by an overseas pair in a Galle Test. The previous-best was 138, added by Michael Slater and Greg Blewett for Australia in 1999-2000. This is the eighth Test at Galle.
Carlisle made 64, his sixth Test fifty but surprisingly his highest Test score. His previous best was the unbeaten, match-winning 62 against India at Harare 2001.This is Carlisle's 25th Test.
Thilan Samaraweera and Upul Chandana added 146, a record for Sri Lanka's eighth-wicket in Tests. The previous-best was 117, added by Mahela Jayawardene and Chaminda Vaas against South Africa at Galle in 2000-01.
In his first Test for 18 months Chandana made 92, his highest Test score. It surpasses the 32 he made against South Africa at the SSC in Colombo in his last Test appearance, in 2000-01. He is playing in his fifth Test.
Sri Lanka made 418 in their first innings, meaning that they have exceeded 400 in the first innings of six of their last seven Tests, all of which have led to victory. Their run of scores is: 610-6, 555-5, 590-9, 288, 627-9, 586-6, 505, 418. On four of those occasions, they have not needed to bat again.
© Wisden CricInfo Ltd
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