Born in Kandy, Sri Lanka 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 surprise 1996 World Cup victory, with seven wickets at 30.85; he has spin rival Shane Warne stumped in the final in Lahore
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 International Cricket Council 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 after they beat Australia in the semis, although rain prevents a result in the final with India and the trophy is shared
In January 2003, Murali bowls England tail-ender James Anderson during a tri-series in Sydney to reach 300 one-day international 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, where they lose to Australia in Port Elizabeth
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, as an ICC World XI beats an Asia XI
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 in the West Indies with 23, but Sri Lanka are beaten by Australia in the final in Barbados
In 2008, Murali and new "mystery spinner" Ajantha Mendis bowl superbly in tandem as Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup, beating India in the final
Tail-ender Murali gets the rare chance to star with the bat when he smashes 33 not out from 21 balls - his highest ODI score - to win a tri-series final against Bangladesh in January 2009
He is now closing in on 500 ODI wickets - and three years to the day after securing his 400th wicket, Murali captures his 500th ODI victim - Pakistan's Sohail Khan - in Lahore on 24 January 2009
The following month, on 5 February, Murali has India batsman Gautam Gambhir caught behind to claim his 503rd ODI wicket - and the world record, surpassing Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram's total of 502
Muralitharan's record in Twenty20 internationals is unspectacular, although he helps Pakistan to the World Twenty20 2009 final in England; his best T20 figures are 3-29 against West Indies in the semi-final
Sri Lanka are strongly fancied for the 2009 Champions Trophy, but both they and hosts South Africa fail to qualify from a strong group containing New Zealand and England
Murali retires from Test cricket after taking his 800th wicket in his final game in July 2010, but the old master continues to play one-day cricket, helping Sri Lanka to a one-day series win in Australia in the autumn
In January 2011, Muralitharan confirms that he will retire from all international cricket after Sri Lanka co-host the World Cup, which begins on 19 February and runs until 2 April
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