Brian Lara picks ‘mentally stronger’ Shane Warne as best spinner over Muralitharan

Brian Lara, a West Indies icon, has named Shane Warne the finest leg-spinner, ranking him ahead of Muttiah Muralitharan. Both are widely considered as two of the best spin bowlers in cricket history, with the Sri Lankan taking 800 wickets—the highest by any bowler in Tests—while Warne ranks alongside his Asian rival with 708 dismissals from 145 matches.

Muralitharan holds the record for most wickets in all formats, with 1,347 dismissals. The former Australian cricketer, on the other hand, is second on the list, with 1,001 wickets. Warne, 52, died abruptly of a heart attack on March 4, 2022, while in Thailand.

“He is the best, and you know, I walk out to bat against Murali, and I am perplexed.” I got 688 runs in three matches, and the first half hour of Murali had me perplexed. I’d hit a sweep shot down to the deep backward square for a single.

“You know, I’d play a sweep shot again,” Brian Lara told The Overlap Cricket Show on YouTube.

“And then all of a sudden, since it’s the males, the other guys don’t read him. He is like, “Oh, take out the bit.” No, no. But Lara has nothing. Let’s move everyone up. The pressure suddenly eased. But Murali put me under more pressure than Shane,” the West Indies legend remarked.

“He’s the best!” ⭐

Brian Lara on facing the legendary bowling of Muralitharan and Warne 🏏 pic.twitter.com/3IzUdhUy7p

— Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) July 16, 2025

The renowned Caribbean batter lauded the late Australia veteran for producing such extraordinary wicket tallies while bowling on surfaces that were normally more friendly to pacers, preferring Muralitharan, who spent the majority of his career in advantageous Asian conditions.

“But when I would go out to bat against Shane. Every ball would come off the middle, and about 2-3 p.m., he would perform this magical delivery or spell. That is why I give him a better rating, as I believe he was mentally stronger. And obviously, with his bowling attack and the conditions that he bowled on, which favoured, you know, the McGraths and McDermotts, for him to pick up that many wickets is quite special,” Lara added.