Muralitharan claimed his 700th Test wicket as Sri Lanka completed an innings and 193-run win over Bangladesh to secure a 3-0 Test series whitewash.
The off-spinner (6-54) reached the mark with the final wicket of the third test, taking him to within eight victims of the now retired Warne. Murali simply sliced through the Bangladeshis as they slumped from 2-123 to 176 all out. The 35-year-old was mobbed by his team-mates and sparked wild celebrations among his home town crowd in Kandy.
He finished the match with 12-82 to close the gap on his fierce adversary and good mate Warne. He has over the years been accused of being a "chucker", principally by Australian crowds. It had such a negative impact on him that he refused to play a short series on these shores a couple of years back.
The simple truth is that he is a wizard of the Art of spin bowling and any detractors are simply hacking down a tall poppy. Warne himself has been one of Murali's major supporters over the years and prior to retiring admitted that he fully expected the "Don of the Doosra" to overhaul and far outstrip his record of 708 test wickets.
To help the little fella celebrate his milestone, we thought it would be nice to see one of his magical missiles. This one to get rid of England's Mark Butcher in 2002. The look on Butcher's face is priceless, as the ball pitches outside leg stump and dislodges his off - bail. To know more about Murali and his amazing achievements, click here, otherwise just enjoy the show from 5 years ago. Unless of course you are Mark Butcher.