Born in Kandy on 17 April 1972, Muttiah Muralitharan makes his Test debut in August 1992 and his one-day bow comes a year later

"Murali" is Sri Lanka's joint leading wicket-taker in their 1996 World Cup victory, with seven wickets at 30.85

Doubts remain about his bowling action - and Sri Lanka leave the field in protest when he is no-balled for throwing by Australian umpire Ross Emerson in an ODI against England in Adelaide in January 1999

His action is cleared after tests by the ICC and he plays in the 1999 World Cup in England, but Sri Lanka fail to reach the second phase

Murali has England in a spin on their ODI tour of Sri Lanka in 2001, and joins English county Lancashire for a second spell later that year

He helps Sri Lanka reach the final of the Champions Trophy on home soil in 2002, although rain prevents a result in the final with India

In January 2003, he bowls England's James Anderson during a tri-series in Sydney to reach 300 ODI wickets

Murali plays in his third World Cup in South Africa in early 2003, taking 17 wickets in the tournament as Sri Lanka reach the semi-finals

He has shoulder surgery in August 2004 and misses nearly a year of international cricket, but locks horns with rival spinner Shane Warne in a fundraising match after the Asian tsunami

On 24 January 2006, he becomes only the third man to take 400 ODI wickets after dismissing South Africa's Graeme Smith and Johan van der Wath with successive balls in a tri-series game in Adelaide

Murali is the joint second-highest wicket-taker at the 2007 World Cup with 23, but Sri Lanka are beaten by Australia in the final

In 2008, Murali and new "mystery spinner" Ajantha Mendis bowl superbly in tandem as Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup

Three years to the day after his 400th ODI wicket, Pakistan tail-ender Sohail Khan becomes Murali's 500th ODI victim

In the fourth game of their ODI series with India, Murali has Gautam Gambhir caught behind to break Wasim Akram's record of 502 wickets