Sachin and I have the best figures but we're not the greatest

Evening Standard

Muttiah Muralitharan should have every reason to believe he is the best bowler in the history of cricket. By the time he retired, after this year's World Cup Final defeat against India, the off‑spinner had 800 Test wickets and 534 one-day international scalps.

But, when we meet at Grosvenor House where the 39-year-old Sri Lankan is receiving the Outstanding Achievement in Sport honour at the Asian Awards, he insists the facts and figures do not equate to greatness.

"I never really feel that I'm the greatest bowler in the game," he tells me. "Statistics-wise I may be the greatest but I have seen so many great bowlers, great spinners over the years. Shane Warne is one of the greats and it's good for the game that he took a lot of wickets [708 in Tests, 293 in one-day internationals] and was part of the winning Australian sides. He was a great ambassador for world cricket."[image error]