Malinda Pushpakumara becomes fourth Sri Lankan to join 1000-wicket club

Veteran left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara recently registered his name in history books by becoming only the fourth Sri Lankan to claim 1,000 wickets in first-class cricket. The feat places him alongside legendary names such as Muttiah Muralidaran, Rangana Herath, and Dinuka Hettiarachchi.

Pushpakumara achieved the milestone during the Sri Lanka Major League three-day tournament, representing Badureliya Sports Club against Moors Sports Club at the Colts Cricket Club Ground. Beginning the match on 998 wickets, the 38-year-old spinner finished with figures of 7 for 137 as Badureliya secured an innings-and-46-run victory. His 1,000th victim was Moors batter Pasindu Sooriyabandara, who was clean bowled on the final morning of the contest.

With this achievement, Pushpakumara became the 218th player in world cricket to reach the 1,000-wicket milestone in first-class cricket and just one of three active bowlers to do so, alongside James Anderson and Simon Harmer. Australia’s Nathan Lyon, currently on 860 wickets, is the closest among active players.

Making his first-class debut in November 2006, Pushpakumara has now played 173 matches, collecting wickets at an average of 20.06 and a strike rate of 38.3. His career consists of 86 five-wicket hauls and 28 ten-wicket match performances. Notably, his strike rate places him alongside legendary bowlers from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including William Lillywhite, Alfred Mynn, and John Wisden.

One of the best moments of Pushpakumara’s career came in 2019, when he recorded 10 for 37 for Colombo Cricket Club, the best first-class bowling figures ever recorded in Sri Lanka. He also became only the second Sri Lankan, after Pramodya Wickramasinghe, to take all ten wickets in a first-class innings on home soil.

Despite his domestic performances, Pushpakumara’s international career was relatively brief. He played four Tests for Sri Lanka between 2017 and 2018, picking up 14 wickets at an average of 37.14. His limited opportunities were largely due to overlapping with two generational greats, Muralidaran and Herath, during Sri Lanka’s golden era of spin bowling. Furthermore, Pushpakumara has never played county cricket in England, making him only the second bowler, after Hettiarachchi, to reach 1,000 first-class wickets without featuring in the English county system.