MVP Murali - another feather on the cap

Muttiah Muralidaran’s cricket career has been beset with controversy. He was called a ‘chucker’ due to his elbow being congenitally crooked. Thereafter, experts analyzed (mainly experts in this field from Australia) his arm and finally conceded that the problem was congenital. Many experts both locally and internationally have assisted Murali in this regard. Today, the 48 year–old off spinner, having ended his career as the highest Test wicket-taker (800), has been named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 21st Century by the Wisden Cricket Monthly.

What an honour for this hardworking cricketer – a just reward. Although only a fifth of the 21st century has just ended! The reputed international monthly cricket magazine, Wisden Cricket Monthly, had collected statistics from the year 2000 until 2020. As Sam Stow the Marketing Director stated: “Out of Murali’s 800 Test wickets, his 573 wickets captured from 1st January 2000 to 2010, only person ahead during this period is England’s paceman James Anderson with 584 but he has played 151 games (2000-2020).”

The magazine in consultation with CricViz, the world’s leading analytics authority has released the top 30 Test players of the 21st Century and the Sri Lankan off- spinner tops the list.

Jo Harman, Wisden Cricket Monthly magazine editor, speaking exclusively said. “Murali and Glenn McGrath stand out as the two most impactful bowlers in this analysis by a distance. In this investigation we are analysing the impact of players, not judging who is best, and as a spinner who bowled marathon spells, the Sri Lankan had greater opportunity to dominate Test matches,” Freddie Wilde, CricViz analyst, speaking exclusively explained.