When things are going your way, there seems to be no end to the magic you can work… at least that’s how it seemed to Murali. A confirmed number XI with the bat, Murali had provided entertainment from time to time but never really scared the opposition. In the second Test at Kandy Murali smashed a swashbuckling half century when his team needed it the most. The innings:

M Muralitharan c Ramesh b Harbhajan Singh
67 runs, 94 mins, 65 balls, 5 fours, 3 sixes