2. Muttiah Muralitharan – Sri Lanka
Muttiah Muralitharan was called many things during his 133 Test match career, unique, revolutionary and without a doubt, the best off-spinner ever to play the game.
And while statistically the Sri Lanka wizard is the best ever, with a staggering 800 Test wickets at 22.72 and a strike-rate of 55, there are still lingering doubts stopping him from being number one.
His action, which was the cause of much speculation through his career, saw the rule book altered after it was proved his arm-flexing was natural and not “chucking” or throwing.
And the fact many of his wickets came in spin friendly conditions on the sub-continent or against weaker opponents.
Despite all of those claims, Muralitharan changed the way off-spin bowling was looked at, with his arsenal of tricks bamboozling the best players of his generation.
Watch Muralitharan take 8-70 against England in 2006.
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