Muttiah Muralitharan

133 Test matches; 800 wickets; 22.72 average; 9 51 BBI; 55.0 strike rate A surprising entry comes at No. 44, as Muttiah Muralitharan comes in much lower down than might have been expected. He was always a restrictive bowler, hence his low average, but he would find wickets came after building sustained pressure and a hold over a batsman. Often, his turning deliveries would beat the bat and go through for a dot ball, meaning his strike rate is pushed a little higher than perhaps it could have been. However, he will always be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.