Muttiah Muralitharan (born April 17, 1972 in Kandy, Sri Lanka), often referred to simply as Murali, is a Sri Lankan cricketer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history. His unique bowling action coupled with his ability to amass wickets has made him one of the most famous cricketers of modern times. He currently lies second in the list of all time wicket takers in both Test cricket and One-Day International cricket. He has signed as an overseas player for Lancashire in 2007.
However, Muralitharan's career has not been without controversy, with the legality of his bowling action being called into question, although he has been cleared by numerous scientific studies.