Shane Warne believes Muttiah Muralitharan's record Test wicket haul of 800 will never be beaten.
The Sri Lanka spinner set the mark with his final ball in Test cricket on Thursday, taking the scalp of Pragyan Ojha to bring India's second innings to an end in the first Test at Galle.
Muralitharan had announced before the start of the series that he would retire from the longest form of the game following the first Test, which he went into needing eight wickets to become the first man to reach 800.
Five wickets in India's first innings put the 38-year-old in a great position and he duly completed the feat.
Warne, who is second to Muralitharan in the all-time list on 708, told Sky Sports: "I don't think anyone will get there, so well done to Murali for getting his 800."
"The way he's gone about it has been amazing. There's been a lot of controversy about his action but at the end of the day the ICC [International Cricket Council] cleared him, he's allowed to play, and what he did with the ball was amazing."
"To face it was quite difficult, especially in those spinning conditions in Sri Lanka."
Warne and Muralitharan vied for the title of the world's best spinner for much of the last two decades, but Warne's retirement in 2007 allowed his rival to move well past the Australian's mark.
"We always kept an eye on each other," said Warne.
"There was a lot to like about Murali, he always had a smile on his face and he always seemed to be enjoying his cricket."
"I admired him from a distance and when we played against each other we always tried to outdo each other. It was more about Australia and Sri Lanka but it was good fun, the little battle within the big battle."
Muralitharan's achievement earned praise from around the cricket world today with former Pakistan quick Waqar Younis describing his two decades in international cricket as a 'dream career'.
Waqar, who now coaches Pakistan, is revered as one of the best fast bowlers of all time, but to put Muralitharan's feat into context he managed, by comparison, a meagre 373 wickets in his Test career.
"It is a dream career. Not many people do this. You dream of getting 800 wickets in first-class cricket and the guys got it in Test cricket," said Waqar.
"He's a legend and a magician. What he's done with the cricket ball in the past two decades is outstanding."
Australia all-rounder Shane Watson said he didn't expect Muralitharan's record to be broken in his lifetime.
"It's phenomenal really. To think that someone has been able to get to 800 wickets is phenomenal. I can't see anyone ever beating that," Watson said.
"We probably said that when Dennis Lillee broke his record however long ago that was, but to see someone get 800 wickets - I can never envisage anyone ever getting that again."
"I can't see anyone breaking that record in my time that I'm alive."