Malinda Pushpakumara reached a major milestone on Wednesday by becoming only the fourth Sri Lankan bowler to take 1,000 wickets in first-class cricket. The left-arm spinner achieved the landmark while playing for Moors Sports Club against Badureliya Sports Club at the Colts Cricket Club Ground.
When Pushpakumara entered the match, he was just two wickets short of making history. He first dismissed wicketkeeper Sohan de Livera to reach 999 wickets. On the third morning of the match, he reached the milestone by bowling Pasindu Sooriyabandara. With that dismissal, he became the 218th bowler in world cricket to claim 1,000 first-class wickets.
The veteran spinner is the fourth Sri Lankan to surpass the four-figure mark, joining an elite list that includes legends Muttiah Muralitharan (1,374), Rangana Herath (1,080) and Dinuka Hettiarachchi (1,001). This achievement is made even more special by the fact that his wickets have come at an impressive strike rate of 38.3.
Pushpakumara reached 1,000 wickets at an average of 20.06, including 86 five-wicket hauls and 28 ten-wicket match performances. He now stands alongside players such as Tom Richardson, Bill Lockwood and George Lohmann. Notably, he is the only bowler among them from the modern era, as the others played in the pre–First World War period.
Pushpakumara has never played first-class cricket in England, making him only the second bowler to reach this milestone without playing in the English county system.
One of his finest moments came during the 2018–19 season, when he took all ten wickets in an innings while conceding just 37 runs. Currently, he has 1,005 first-class wickets, with an impressive economy rate of 3.13.
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