The Rival XI - A team which can beat the Wisden XI

Muttiah Muralitharan

Test – 133

Wickets – 800

800 wickets, yes, 800 Test wickets – that stat alone makes him an obvious choice as a spinner in any world XI. Perhaps one of the most controversial cricketers in the modern era, Muralitharan created his own place in the history with his unique brand of off spin.

He was a rare bowler who was always a threat on any kind of wicket owing to his ability to turn the ball square. As his career went on, he developed an array of deliveries that left batsmen bamboozled.

A match winner in every format, Murali not only rewrote the record books, he rewrote the laws of the game and changed cricket forever.