Sri Lanka off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan broke the world record for Test match wickets on Saturday when he captured two wickets on the third day of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Harare.

Muralitharan beat the previous mark of 519 set by West Indies' fast bowler Courtney Walsh when he had Mluleki Nkala caught for 24 from the final ball of his eighth over.

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He then caught and bowled Alester Maragwede for 22 with the first ball of his ninth but was forced to leave the field for treatment to his hand. Muralitharan finished with two for 27 from 8.1 overs as Sri Lanka wrapped up the match by an innings and 240 runs. The 32-year-old Sri Lankan, who made his debut against Australia in 1992, has been a controversial figure in world cricket after he was called for throwing in a test match in Melbourne in 1995. He was also called during a one-day international in Adelaide in 1998.

His action was deemed legal when tests showed he bowled with a bent elbow due to a deformity but did not straighten his arm during delivery.

However further questions were raised this year when he was reported by match referee Chris Broad after a home series against Australia. Broad expressed concern that a new delivery from Muralitharan, which spins away from a right-handed batsman, might not be legal.

Muralitharan became the youngest player to reach 400 Test wickets, reaching the mark in Sri Lanka's third Test against Zimbabwe in 2002, his 72nd Test. He was also the quickest player to pass the barrier.

He equalled West Indies's pace bowler Courtney Walsh's previous record of 519 by taking six for 45 in the first innings of the current Test.

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