Former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said on Sunday that he was surprised with how Indian pacer Mohammed Shami bowled in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

At the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, Muralitharan said, "I was surprised with the way Mohammed Shami bowled. He is a great bowler, but he was really different in this World Cup."

Shami was one of India's biggest stars of the World Cup. In India's remarkable campaign that saw the team finish runners-up to Australia and register an unbeaten ten-match winning streak, Shami took 24 wickets.

His wickets came in seven matches at an average of 10.70 and a strike rate of 12.20, with the best bowling figures of 7/57.

He took three five-wicket hauls in the tournament and broke several bowling records. He ended up as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

On whether there will be another Muralitharan, the spin legend said, "Another Muttiah Muralitharan - it is difficult to say. But I think different personalities will come, even better than me. It always happens..."

Member of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, Muralitharan is widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the sport and is the only bowler to take 800 Test wickets and 530+ ODI wickets. He is also the highest wicket-taker in both Test and ODI formats and averages over six wickets per Test match. (ANI)