Every now and then an individual or team comes along that redefines the boundaries previously adhered to in sport, smashing down limited preconceptions and lifting the game to a new and exultant level.

Tiger Woods is a classic example, taking golf on a journey into unknown territories both by the standard and the panache with which he plays.

Pete Sampras was another – although with less of the panache – as he dominated the men’s tennis circuit during the 1990s, and Venus Williams is now doing likewise - with oodles of added flair - in the women’s game.

The late Sir Donald Bradman remains the undisputed king of batsmen in Test cricket’s long history but the sport is now blessed with another who could rewrite the game’s record books… Muttiah Muralitharan.

The Sri Lankan spin king may have narrowly missed claiming the game’s greatest individual bowling analysis (with his 9-51 against Zimbabwe) but at 29 he is still young enough to end his career looking down on virtually every bowling record in the book.

He already boasts two nine-wicket hauls, leaving him 5th and 9th on the all-time list, and he will surely have another crack at all 10 in an innings before his career is over.

In his 70.5 Test matches to date* Murali has already amassed a staggering 391 wickets, lifting him to 7th on the all-time list and just 128 behind the overall leader Courtney Walsh.

I say just 128 because the Kandy-born spinner is collecting international scalps at such an incredible pace that he should climb to the summit sometime towards the end of next year if he can maintain his current phenomenal strike-rate.

This unassuming magician, who beguiles through the magnificent purchase he can attain with a uniquely flexible action, is presently walking away with an average of 5.54 wickets per Test – a greater rate than any other bowler who’s gone through the 400 barrier.

But that’s just half the story. During 2000 he was the world’s most prolific bowler with 75 wickets in just 10 Tests, a feat he repeated in 2001 with 80 from 12.

That’s 155 wickets in his last 22 completed Tests, and he’s already taken nine halfway through his latest match.

Should he go on to complete yet another 10-wicket match haul – as surely he now must - it will be the 10th time in his career so far, beating Sir Richard Hadlee’s current record of nine.

Last year he managed it in four successive Tests, an unprecedented achievement, and he has also taken five wickets in an innings 33 times – just three behind another of Hadlee’s records.

Murali maintains that 400 is his first target but in all likelihood he will have surpassed that by the end of the current three-match series against Zimbabwe. After that it will be countdown to Walsh and the all-time record.

On his way no doubt he will enjoy a wave to Shane Warne (presently 430 and counting) and a metaphorical two fingers up to all things Australian after the traumas he has felt down under.

Twice in his early career he was called for chucking by Australian umpires, each time being cleared after closer inspection of his action by an independent panel. Murali always maintained he was victimized because of his success.

Now his standing is unquestioned and the world over marvels at his incredible feats. It helps that he has a captain only too willing to turn to his star performer – he claimed the first of his nine wickets against Zimbabwe in the ninth over of the first morning – but his rewards are fully deserved.

The wild eyes and whirling wrist are now trademarks of Murali’s awesome prowess, a treasure for teammates and spectators alike but a nightmare of Hollywood proportions for batsmen facing up to The Kandy Man.

* Not including Zimbabwe’s second innings in the 2nd Test at Kandy.

Comparison of the top seven Test wicket-takers in terms of scalps per match:

Kandy from Kids – Wkts per Test
Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Wkts/Test
Muralitharan	70.5	391	5.54
Hadlee	86	431	5.01
Warne	98	430	4.37
Ambrose	98	405	4.13
Wasim	103	414	4.01
Walsh	132	519	3.93
Kapil Dev	131	434	3.31

5 Jan, 2002