Just checking up on the Sri Lanka vs. India scorecard and I see Murali took 5 for 63 off 17 overs. That takes him to 797 Test wickets and an incredible 67 5 fors! So he needs 3 more to reach 800 and surely set a record which stand for a very long time. Whatever you think of his action it is a remarkable achievement from a player who really seems to enjoy his cricket. I hope he gets there.

www.cricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-india-2010/content/story/468199.html


N.B. I see Gambhir has been dismissed in the first over meaning one less wicket for Murali to claim.

He seems to be a genuinely nice guy and I hope he gets his 800. But there will always be this niggle that the guy who's streets ahead of anyone else in terms of wickets is the same guy who has the most controversial action.

Having said that, the authorities allowed him to continue and it's not 'his fault'.

I see he has got one wicket out of the five to fall in the Indian 2nd Inns. Needs two more, so I bet he will open up and bowl through giving him every chance to get the magical 800.

At lunch Murali is on 799 with 2 wickets left to fall. Really hope he gets 800. Imagine being the bowler who takes the final two wickets and leaves him on 799!

Malinga could easily get 2 in an over

9th wicket is a run out!

He needs the last one!

SL have brought Dilshan on. Most probably to lob a few of his gentle off-spinners up.

Murali bowling with only 2 men up

I like this summary on cricinfo.

Muttiah Muralitharan waits on 799 wickets and needs to take one of the remaining two India wickets. You are eight wickets short of entering a territory where no other cricketer has left a footprint, you enter the last day of the last Test you will ever play needing two wickets, you take one, your partner threatens to take everything else on offer and you can do nothing but keep on bowling. And wait. The umpire doesn't give a palpable shout for lbw. You wait. And after 14 wicket-less overs, you are still left one wicket short of reaching where no man has been before.

So it's his last day in Tests and only one Indian wicket left ..............

I'm going to have to strike a discordant note here and say that I sincerely hope Murali does not get his 800th wicket. The rules of the game have been gerrymandered, courtesy of the sub-continent block vote on the ICC, to allow him to have a career. Thirty years ago he would have been bounced out of the game.

You maybe right Henry. But in my eyes the ICC have let him continue bowling, so the record stands and Murali should be celebrated. He has been a great ambassador for the game playing with a smile and seeming to really enjoy his cricket.

He has just been replaced in the attack by Herath.

Edit: For a change of ends. phew!

Good luck to the bloke, but I'm not sure about him being an ambassador for the game for the reasons I've explained.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one

Gets the 800th.

Congratulations to the bloke.

I think that record will stand for a very, very long time.