Editing Muttiah Muralitharan (section)

====Mid career====
On 16 March 1997, Muralitharan became the first Sri Lankan to reach 100 test wickets, when he dismissed [[Stephen Fleming]] in the second innings of the Hamilton Test.

In January 1998, Muralitharan took his first ten-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in the first test at Kandy. Sri Lanka won by eight wickets and Muralitharan had figures of 12 for 117.

In August that same year Muralitharan produces his career-best test match figures of 16 for 220, in the one-off test against England. In England's second innings Muralitharan bowled a marathon 54.2 overs to pick up 9 for 65 runs,<ref name="Muralitharan 9 for 65">{{Cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EebphFKyzwY| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904004226/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EebphFKyzwY| archive-date=2015-09-04 | url-status=dead|title=Muralitharan, 9 for 65, Oval Test |via=YouTube |date=10 December 2008 |access-date=10 February 2009}}</ref> the other wicket being a run out. [[Ben Hollioake]] becomes his 200th test wicket. Sri Lanka won by ten wickets, their first Test victory in England. After breaking the world record for the most test wickets in 2007, Muralitharan commented that his 1998 performance at the Oval against England, was his career highlight. He stated "Everyone thought I was a good bowler then and I didn't look back from there."<ref name="Muralitharan test record">{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/other_international/sri_lanka/7123499.stm |title=Muralitharan breaks Test record |work=BBC Sport |date=3 December 2007 |access-date=8 February 2009 |location=London |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516234214/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/other_international/sri_lanka/7123499.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Playing his 58th test, Muralitharan claimed his 300th test wicket when he dismissed Shaun Pollock in the First Test in Durban, in December 2000. Only [[Dennis Lillee]] reached the milestone faster, in his 56th test.

On 4 January 2002 in Kandy Muralitharan might have finished with the best-ever figures for a single innings, but after he had claimed nine wickets against Zimbabwe [[Russel Arnold]] dropped a catch at short leg.<ref name="Art of the obvious" />
He missed out on the tenth when [[Chaminda Vaas]] dismissed [[Henry Olonga]] caught behind amid stifled appeals. Muralitharan follows up his 9 for 51 in the first innings with 4 for 64 in the second, equalling [[Richard Hadlee]]'s record of 10 ten-wicket match hauls, but needing 15 fewer Tests to do so.

On 15 January 2002 playing in his 72nd test, Muralitharan became the fastest and youngest to reach the 400-wicket landmark when he bowled Olonga in the third Test in Galle.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/slveng/content/story/323183.html |title=Timeline: Muttiah Muralitharan – Spinning his way to success |publisher=ESPNcricinfo |date=3 December 2007 |access-date=6 January 2008 |archive-date=7 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207191708/http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/slveng/content/story/323183.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/1061149.html | title = Ask Steven – Youngest to reach wickets' milestiones | publisher = ESPNcricinfo | access-date = 11 October 2016 | archive-date = 11 October 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161011075557/http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/1061149.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

On 16 March 2004 Muralitharan became the fastest and the youngest bowler to reach 500 wickets during the second test between Sri Lanka and Australia played in Kandy. In his 87th test, he bowled Kasprowicz to claim his 500th victim just four days after Warne reached the landmark on the fifth day of the First Test between the two teams at Galle. Warne took 108 tests to reach 500. Muralitharan took 4–48 on the first day of the second Test as Australia were skittled for 120 in the first innings.<ref name="Murali 500 wickets">{{Cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/17/1079199236221.html |title=Murali, Warne strike |first=Michael |last=Donaldson |work=The Age |date=17 March 2004 |access-date=27 March 2008 |location=Melbourne |archive-date=9 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209051912/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/17/1079199236221.html |url-status=live }}</ref>